From our inbox to you…From the Whitby Library…

Story Mob at Central
On Wednesday, August 5th, at 1:30 p.m. the Whitby Central Library is pleased to work with Toronto-based StoryMobs to launch the Library’s first StoryMob!  StoryMobs is a literary phenomenon where great children’s books meet flash mobs.
Through the use of costumes and props, music, simple choreography and reading out loud, children and their families can engage with books in a new and exciting way.
The chosen book for this exciting StoryMob is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.You can sign up for reader parts and to participate by visiting the Central Library’s Main Floor Information Desk in the Children’s Department.
In person registration is required at the Main Floor Information Desk.
Culture in the Square

Tuesday nights are culture nights in Celebration Square at the Central Library. The Town of Whitby brings you a variety of musical, theatrical and artistic events to entertain and engage you all summer long. Be a part of it!

Don’t miss these fantastic events and performances in August:

All events start at 7:00 pm. Thanks to Celebration Square 2015 sponsor, Menzies Chrysler.
Parapan Am Games Come to Whitby

Team Canada certainly “owned the podium” in the 2015 Pan Am Games, and across the country people are looking to our ParaPan Am athletes to continue the trend. The Town of Whitby will proudly be hosting judo and boccia at the state-of-the-art Abilities Centre, so don’t miss out on your chance to catch some amazing athletic events and express your civic pride. For information on how you can see the Games, visit the Pan Am/ParaPan Am website.

Has all the “Panamania” inspired you to try something new? Read up on your favourite Pan Am/ParaPan Am sport and get that body moving!
Did You Know?
Food Is Permitted in the Library

Many libraries prohibit food, so you may be surprised that food is permitted at all WPL branches. We do ask that you clean up after yourself using the waste receptacles provided and that you be mindful of your neighbours. And please be careful with your consumables around library materials and equipment. This will help us keep your library clean and avoid invasions of little critters that like to feast on our crumbs.

The only exception is that food is not permitted in the Whitby Archives. The archival collections are delicate, consisting of rare material that generally can’t be replaced and as such needs to be treated with extra care. Outside of the Archives, munch away!

If you need sustenance at the Central Library, drop by Presse Café for a sandwich, soup, pastry or caffeinated beverage.
Upcoming Programs
Doctor Who Party for Teens at the Central Library 
Tuesday, August 18
2:30 to 4:00 pm

Calling all teen Doctor Who fans! Put your knowledge to the test with our trivia challenge, create your own Tardis and eat delicious Doctor Who inspired snacks. Plus, see how our 3D printer can be used to create cool Doctor Who objects. Costumes are optional, but encouraged!

Registration is required. Register for the Doctor Who Party online or by contacting any branch.

More Teen Programs at the Central Library
Summer Reading Club Certificate Day at the Central Library 
Thursday, August 20
3:00 to 4:00 pm

Members of the TD Summer Reading Club are invited to join us for a special wrap-up celebration when we’ll be featuring entertainment, book draws and prizes! Plus, all of our reading club members will receive their reading certificates.

Our special guest for the occasion is Super Sarah, who will amaze you with her magic and get you giggling with her comedy skills. Sarah is a Disney-trained children’s entertainer who brings her enthusiasm and energy to every show. Her interactive performance will make everyone feel like a part of the show.

Tickets are required for this event. Tickets are available at the Central Library main floor information desk.

More Children’s Programs at the Central Library
Book Club Registration at the Brooklin Branch 
Saturday, August 15
Starting at 10:00 am

Interested in joining a book club? Registration for the Brooklin Branch book club Fall 2015 session begins on Saturday, August 15 at 10:00 am, in-person only. Phone registration will be accepted after 12:00 noon if there are any remaining spots (space is limited to 12 members). Drop by the information desk at the Brooklin Branch to register and to pick up your first book.

The Book Club will meet on the third Monday of the month from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. The Fall 2015 selected titles are:

More Adult Programs at the Brooklin Branch
String Art for Teens at the Brooklin Branch 
Wednesday, August 12
4:00 to 6:00 pm

Looking for some distinctive art to decorate your living space with? Teens entering grades 7 to 12 are invited to join us and we’ll guide you through the process of creating unique string art.

Participants will choose from a selection of stencils, create an outline with nails, and thread some heavy string to create representational or abstract patterns. Although all necessary materials will be provided, feel free to bring your own wood if you like (stained and reclaimed wood will work particularly well for this project).

Registration is required. Register for String Art for Teens online or by contacting any branch.

More Teen Programs at the Brooklin Branch
Music By Jake at the Brooklin Branch 
Wednesday, August 5
10:30 to 11:15 am

Children (grades JK and up) and caregivers are invited to meet Juno award-nominee Jake Differ, whose musical, funny and highly interactive live performances have delighted family audiences all across Canada.

Jake will be performing a special show that he developed for the Summer Reading Club theme “play.” Jake plays a great mix of up-tempo songs, leading the way on guitar, ukulele, flute and voice. Expect to sing, dance, play instruments and laugh the whole way through.

Registration is required. Register for Music by Jake online or by contacting any branch.

More Children’s Programs at the Brooklin Branch
Book Club Registration at the Rossland Branch 
Saturday, August 15
Starting at 10:00 am

Interested in joining a book club? Registration for the Rossland Branch book club Fall 2015 session begins on Saturday, August 15 at 10:00 am, in-person only. Phone registration will be accepted after 12:00 noon if there are any remaining spots (space is limited to 12 members). Drop by the information desk at the Rossland Branch to register and to pick up your first book.

The Book Club will meet on the third Thursday of the month from 2:30 to 3:30. The Fall 2015 selected titles are:

More Adult Programs at the Rossland Branch
Teen Terrariums at the Rossland Branch 
Wednesday, August 5
2:30 to 3:30 pm

Want a garden, but not all the work that goes along with it? Join us and make a miniature enclosed garden that you can enjoy year round. Plus, it’s low maintenance. Perfect for the busy teen.

Registration is required. Register for Teen Terrariums online or by contacting any branch.

More Teen Programs at the Rossland Branch
On S’Amuse En Francais at the Rossland Branch
Tuesday, August 11
2:30 to 3:15 pm
Students entering grades 2 to 4 with previous French experience will enjoy French stories, games and crafts.
Book Marks 

Louisa May: My Little BFF

Sometimes we get fixated on one particular author. In my case it’sLouisa May Alcott, best known to us as the author of the classicsLittle Women and Little Men. You can visit her family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Mass., and also her posh townhouse on Beacon Hill in Boston. She is a fabulous author, a woman who wrote in a “man’s world.” You can find out more about her life in these selected biographies.For a more fictional look at her life, Kelly O’Connor McNees weaves a beautiful story of Louisa inThe Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. The book is set in the summer of Alcott’s 22nd year, during which she meets and falls in love with Joseph Singer and must choose between him and her writing career.

March, written by Geraldine Brooks,expands on the life of Bronson Alcott, who is seemingly not the picture-perfect father, unlike Jo’s father in Little Women. For a more fun, light-hearted take on Little Women, give The Little Women Letters a try. Three modern-day sisters find a collection of letters in the attic written by their great, great, grandmother Josephine March in which she writes of her life with her sisters in Concord. But no one can describe Josephine March better than her husband Friedrich who said, “Jo, such a little word for such a girl” delivered brilliantly by Gabriel Byrne in thefilm based on the book Little Women.
Books, Research and More

Multilingual Matters

Expanded Filipino Language Collection?

You’ll now find more Filipino language books and DVDs on the shelves at the Central Library, including a large selection of romance novels and feature films. See our catalogue for the entire print and moviecollections.
Virtual Branch: WPL on the Web
Google Search Tips and Tricks 

Practically everyone, from newbies to the plugged-in superuser, starts their internet searching with a visit to Google. Go to Google, type in something, get results and go from there. Pretty simple, which is the point. Those of us who used the internet in the 1990s before Google came along remember how difficult it could be to find things online and how revolutionary it was (and still is).

We’re not trying to sound like evangelists (because there are all sorts of  issues surrounding Google), but it actually offers many more tools than that simple Google search box.

Here are a few useful things you’ll find at the top of a typical Google results page. Under the search box on the top, there are six headings. The links lead to examples from a search for Whitby Public Library:
  • Web refers to a regular Google search with the results below.
  • If you click on Images or Videos, you’ll immediately see the top image and video results for your search.
  • News will take you straight to the top news hits for up-to-the-minute info.
  • More shows results from Google Maps, Google Books and more.
  • Search Tools enable you to filter your search for better results. For example, you can restrict your search to Canadian websites only. It isn’t perfect (some non-Canadian sites will sneak in there), but it works fairly well.
  • You can also use the Time option (under Any Time) to adjust the time period for your hits. For instance, your regular keyword search may keep returning the same top hits, but they’re dated months or years ago. With the Time option, you can limit your results to those that have appeared in the last hour, last day, last week or last year, with an option to filter by specific custom dates.
  • The final search tool is “all results” versus “verbatim.” Google tries to compensate for what it thinks are misspellings and incorrect terms by adding other results to your hit list. It also searches for synonyms (words that mean the same thing) for what you enter. Most of the time this is good, but sometimes you meant to type exactly what you typed. If you choose verbatim, it will do just that: your results will only reflect your search terms, not what Google’s algorithm thinks you meant.

We spend a lot of time using Google. These tools will help you make that time more effective, and get you the information you need more efficiently.

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