Random Acts of Libraryness by James Laitinen at Salmon Arm Branch

As the great Austin Powers once said, “Allow myself to introduce myself”.  I am the new Branch

James & Roswitha at Roswitha's
Retirement Party

Head Librarian at the Salmon Arm Library.   Having grown up in Salmon Arm, it’s great to be back.  Thanks again to Roswitha Klawitter for her 18 exuberant years as Branch Head, and we wish her all the best in her new adventures.  We also bid a fond farewell to Colleen Smith, who worked 16 years at the Circulation Desk.

Random Acts of Libraryness

Maybe I’m being lazy with my first column, but I thought I would start off by highlighting some of the many services offered at the library:
• We’re more than just books (although we have a lot of those).  We have movies, TV series on DVD, audiobooks on CD, free Wi-Fi, workstations with internet access and Microsoft Office.  And people to help answer your questions (because Google and Siri just haven’t mastered the personal touch).
• Looking for something to read, but the library is closed?  You can download hundreds of magazines for free from our Zinio magazine collection.  Just a small sample of available titles:  Car and Driver, Rolling Stone, Knitters Magazine, Harvard Business Review, The Walrus, Shape, Us Weekly, Wood Magazine and many, many more.  Click on the ‘Zinio for Libraries’ icon on our homepage (www.orl.bc.ca), and start your own personal collection.
• If you’re having problems downloading eBooks or audiobooks to your eReader or tablet, you can make an appointment with myself or Alice, and we can show you the process from start to finish.  Just phone the library at 250-832-6161 or email us at salmonarm@orl.bc.ca
• Many of you audiobook-philes have probably discovered our collection of OverDrive downloadable audiobooks, but don’t forget our OneClick collection, which includes a number of Canadian titles
• Are you looking after kids yet in August, but have run out of reading ideas for them?  If you’re looking for advice, just head to the ‘Custom Booklist’ link on our website.  One of our librarians will create a booklist of 5 children or young adult titles
• Do you need to scan and email a document?  Our photocopier can scan and email a PDF copy of any document you need to send
• Did you know that we have books in other languages?  Our collection includes books in French, Chinese, Dutch, German, Japanese, Punjabi and Spanish.  We just got a brand new batch of books in Spanish.

Roots and Blues

If you’re going to Roots and Blues, and want to preview some of the performers, dig into our deep CD collection.  We have a wide range of titles, from headliners such as The Sheepdogs and Ian Tyson to emerging talents like Shad and MonkeyJunk.

Staff Picks

Ardie, our Youth Services Librarian, recommends Glimpse: The Dean Curse Chronicles by Steven Whibley, a Canadian author whose style is reminiscent of Gordon Korman and Sigmund Brouwer.    This is a thriller for ages 9-12 about, as the author describes “24 hours to save a life”.

And In Other Library News

• Saturday Afternoon Book Club:  Join Alice on Saturday, August 23 to discuss The Golden Spruce:  A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed by John Vaillant, which won the 2005 Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction.  Check out our branch webpage for upcoming book club titles (http://www.orl.bc.ca/branches/salmon-arm)
• We will be launching a new version of our catalogue and website in early October.  If you have been using the Enhanced Catalogue, the new catalogue will be quite similar in look and feel. 

Column by James Laitinen, new Head Librarian for the Salmon Arm Branch
This column was first published in the FRIDAY AM Paper

Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

     There has been a lot of buzz about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (2012).  Another first novel, this one's plot is unusual & unpredictable, but ultimately very captivating.
     Harold is a retired sales representative, married, & living a quiet, unfulfilled life in a small English town. He is an ordinary man, one who does not voice his feelings, who plods on whatever life throws his way. A letter from a former work colleague, telling him that she is dying, but wanting to say goodbye, sets the rest of the story in motion. Harold replies. When he goes out to post the letter at the mailbox at the end of the road, he unwittingly, (at first), starts a long journey by foot, without returning home. As the result of a chance encounter, he convinces himself that his 600 mile journey will help his old friend survive. He carries nothing, walking in “yachting” shoes. His journey becomes a pilgrimage, a tale about the journey being more important than the end itself. Along the way he ponders his life, his marriage, his relationship with his son, all of his past. He meets a wildly varied cast of characters who help him see his life in an entirely new light. His voice alternates in the novel with that of his wife, Maureen; we see her struggles as she also undergoes a transformation as the result of Harold's “unlikely pilgrimage”.
     It is a well written story about faith, persistence, hope, redemption, second chances, & opening oneself to the world. The Daily Mail (UK)'s reviewer said “It's a deceptively simple novel about the anguish of regret, the importance of faith, and the redemptive power of love...humorous, moving and profound...one of the best books you'll read this year”.
    
Do yourself a favour & take a walk with Harold.

Diana Inselberg is a retired librarian and resident of Enderby, who has worked at various Okanagan Regional Library branches.

Okanagan Reads for Kids

Read … right out of the gate! Join the Okanagan Regional Library as we kick-off our annual Okanagan Reads Book Club.

Saturday, January 11^th from 11 am to 1 pm

K & S Elite Equestrian Centre, 3830 Casorso Rd, Kelowna

Meet this year’s author, Julie White. See some young riders in action and enjoy a free hotdog and hot chocolate as well as a pony ride. Fun for all ages!

Okanagan Reads for Kids is focused on kids aged 8 to 15. One Okanagan – one author: enjoy any one of Julie White’s four books about horses, friendship and adventure. Take part in some of the great activities in your local library branches, and win some great prizes, including iPad Minis as well as family packs for Caravan Farm Theatre and the Armstrong IPE, when you enter our bookmark, story-telling and book trailer contests! All details are available at www.okanaganreads.ca.

Julie White, a Canadian Children’s author from Armstrong, has written 4 books in a series.  Her first book, The Secret Pony, has won the “Our Choice Award” and was nominated for the “Chocolate Lily Award”!  In addition to writing, Julie is also a Pony Club Examiner, riding instructor and course designer. She lives on a horse farm in Armstrong with her husband, Robert, a former jockey, where they raise thoroughbreds for racing and jumping.

 

“The Secret Pony”:  When Kristy finds out that her neighbor’s pony, Lancelot, whom she has been taking care of and riding, is going to be sold, she secretly buys him. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get the chance to tell her busy mother and has to hide him at a friend’s stable. After the secret is discovered, and Lancelot shows an act of bravery, Kristy finds the support she needs coming from a most unexpected source.

“High Fences”:  In order to stop their farm from going into foreclosure, Faye allows her grandmother to sell her fantastic pony, Robin.  The new owner, Nicole, a spoiled rich girl, learns the “secret” of how to handle him from Faye. In the end, Faye helps Nicole and Robin in a very important competition and all three share a secret together!

“Riding Through Fire”:  Twelve-year-old Kristy and her pony, Lancelot, are asked to help in their first cattle round-up, but she ends up being partnered with a 14 year-old boy, Jesse, who treats her badly.  When Jesse and his horse get lost in a raging fire nearby, the amazing Lancelot saves all of their lives.

“Under The Wire”: Reid, a 16 year-old boy, holds down the fort when his jockey mother ends up in the hospital after a serious fall during a race.  However, when she recovers she announces that she is getting out of the jockey business and wants Reid out, too!  But Reid wants a future as a jockey and will try to prove to everyone that he’s got what it takes to get in first under the wire.

 

As librarians, we know the difference that reading makes in children’s lives – helping improve their school marks, teaching them empathy, preparing them for a successful future - all while having fun! We hope you will encourage your children to participate in Okanagan Reads for Kids!