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How-to In 10 is Back!   

How would you like to learn a new skill in just 10 minutes? The How-To in 10 Festival, hosted at five different libraries in the Durham Region, makes learning something new fun, easy, free, and convenient!

The festival will be held at the Whitby Public Library on Saturday, April 30 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. Stations throughout the first floor of the Central Library will teach you a new skill in 10 minutes or less.  With over 25 experts, think of all the things you can learn to do!

AT WPL this year, learn How-To:

And that’s not all! Please visit the How-To in 10 website for more details on what you can learn at your library.
Did You Know?

The Whitby Archives Has Records to Help You Research Your House

Historic photo of homes in Whitby.Along with all the great resources at the Whitby Public Library, did you know the Central Library is also home to the Whitby Archives?

The Whitby Archives holds unpublished, historical records relating to Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn, Myrtle, and Myrtle Station. It’s a great place to visit if you’re researching your family history, working on a school project or if you have an interest in local history.

One of the most common questions our Archivist is asked is how to research a house. Sometimes the answer is really easy. If you live in a historical home, there is a good chance research has already been undertaken by staff in the Archives or external clients. We might have a folder containing notices or newspaper articles pertaining to your home. If you’re really lucky and the house is considered significant to the Town of Whitby’s history or the house has been designated under theOntario Heritage Act, there will be an architectural and historical report available for consultation.

The majority of houses in Whitby, though, are not so lucky. For many residents, researching their house requires a bit more legwork. The Archives has resources like city directories, phone books, maps, and newspapers which can help determine previous homeowners and/or tenants. Researchers will also want to consult the Ontario County Land Abstract Index which is available on microfilm. These records will provide information about land ownership from the early 1800s until present day (although the Library’s copies only go to 1949). Finally, fire insurance plans provide information on additions, renovations, and building material.

If you’d like to learn more about researching your house, come to our workshop on April 6 at 7:00 pm at the Central Library. Register online for How to Research Your House or by contacting any branch.

We encourage those researching their house to make an appointment with the Archivist so we can best prepare for your visit. Visit our web page to see the Whitby Archives hours of operation.
Upcoming Programs

DVD cover of The Walk.

Free Film Night at the Central Library 
Thursday, April 7
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Meeting Room 1

Join us at the Central Library for a screening of the film The Walk. Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man (Philippe Petit played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan.

This film is rated PG according to the Ontario Film Review Board. Closed captioning will be available.

Registration is required. Register for the Free Film Night online or by contacting any branch.

Avengers Become…Hedgehogs? At the Central Library 
Wednesday, April 20
4:00 to 5:30 pm

Fandom fun!

Captain America: Civil War hits theatres this May. We’re excited and we want to help you wait out the movie release date. Teens in grades 7 to 12, sign up to create your own Avenger book hedgehog. We supply the material, you do the work! Bonus points for helping us recycle used books in honour of Earth Day.

Registration is required. Register for Avengers Become…Hedgehogs? online or by contacting any branch.

Outlander DVD cover.

Outlander Fan Clan Gathering at the Brooklin Branch 
Monday, April 4
7:00 to 8:00 pm

Don your plaid and share your love of all things Outlander: books, TV series and of course, Jamie and Claire!

Enjoy refreshments, a wee blether and the chance to win a door prize.

Registration is required. Register for the Outlander Fan Clan Gathering online or by contacting any branch.

Librarian swimming with a shark_

Hands-On Green Screen at the Brooklin Branch 
Wednesday, April 13
4:00 to 5:00 pm
Brooklin Youth Room (Brooklin Community Centre and Library)

Travel to Paris? Fly over a building? Make the impossible happen with our brand new green screen! Drop by the Brooklin Community Centre’s Youth Room to try out this technology for yourself. This program is open to youth in grades 7 to 12. Participants will have their completed photos emailed to them.

Visit the Town of Whitby’s Youth Rooms web page for more details about the BCCL Youth Room.

No registration required. Just drop in!

Letter blocks.

Construction Zone: Learn, Build and Solve at the Brooklin Branch 
Wednesday April 6, 13, 20 and 27
10:30 to 11:30 am

This interactive program will explore strategies that promote children’s learning with blocks, buildings, and books. Letter Construction, Building Block Blueprints, Duplo Speller Bricks, Block Graphs and more will spark your child’s imagination and creative problem solving abilities.
Caregivers and their children ages 3 to 5 are welcome. This program runs for 4 weeks.

This program is presented in partnership with Joan Gajadharsingh, Early Literacy Specialist fromOntario Early Years.

Registration is required. Register for Construction Zone: Learn, Build and Solve online or bycontacting any branch.

Yellow bird on a branch.

Thickson’s Woods Land Trust at the Rossland Branch 
Wednesday, April 13
2:30 to 3:30 pm

The beauty and serenity of nature is just down the road, tucked away where Thickson Road meets the lake at Thickson’s Woods Land Trust. Come learn more about the history of this beautiful old growth forest and the birds who visit this reserve.

Registration is required. Register for Thickson’s Woods Land Trust online or by contacting any branch.

Photo of sloth.

Make ‘N Take a Sloth at the Rossland Branch
Friday, April 8
11:00 am to 12 noon

Drop in for a few minutes to make a mama sloth and her adorable baby. Caregivers of children under 10 must remain in the library. Please be prepared to assist your child.

Registration is not required. Just drop in!
Book Marks 

New Spring Picture Books 
Book cover of When Spring Comes.
Kevin Henkes, author of numerous picture books including the Caldecott Medal winning Kitten’s First Full Moon, has created a beautiful story to welcome spring. The bright, colourful illustrations in When Spring Comes
show the changes that occur with the arrival of spring. As the story begins,
the reader discovers the world before spring comes, when trees are bare and look like sticks against the sky. Then remarkable changes occur: leaves
and blossoms emerge on branches, grass changes from brown to green, pussy willows grow and new kittens play. Henkes drawings are colourful and playful and capture the wonder of winter falling away and spring’s arrival.

Author of One, Two That’s My Shoe and Apple Pie ABC is back with a fun, cumulative story based on the famous nursery rhyme. The House that Zack Built, takes place on a farm, and Murray’s sense of humour is evident throughout the retelling. A fly buzzes by the house (made of blocks) that Zack built and ends up causing havoc not just with Zack’s house but also with numerous farm animals, including Zack’s dog. The tale incorporates farm animals young children will recognize and by the end, Zack not only comes up with a simple solution to the problem of the buzzing fly, he rights everything that went wrong. It’s a fun read aloud that encourages children to participate with the telling.

Book cover of The SheepOver.Sweet Pea and Friends: The SheepOver by John and Jennifer Churchman

The Sheepover, based on a true story, tells the story of Sweet Pea, a little orphan lamb who has fallen sick. Told through photographs of actual farm animals, Sweet Pea is cared for by Vet Allison, and her friends keep her company as she recovers in the barn. It’s a charming story with large, bright photographs that provide children a close-up look of familiar barn animals (sheep, goat, goose, rooster) who are all worried about Sweet Pea. Children will enjoy the happy ending where Farmer John plans something special for Sweet Pea and her friends.

Bug Zoo features colourful, large illustrations and tells the story of a boy who takes his love of bugs a little too far. Ben loves all sorts of bugs, and after a trip to the city zoo, he decides to start a bug zoo. He catches some and puts them in glass jars, but the next day he notices the bugs aren’t buzzing. Nonetheless, he keeps growing his zoo and after catching a luna moth he learns what is really wrong with his bugs and how he can make them better. It’s fun looking at the many bugs on the pages and the message makes the reader think about how to really care about creatures sharing our world, even the littlest ones
Books, Research and More

Multilingual Matters

DVD cover of NO.

Foreign Film Recommendations 

The Central Library has a large collection of foreign films, including a number of spectacular gems. Have trouble deciding on which flick to choose, or new to foreign films? Here are some recommendations of entertaining fictional stories based on true events.

Cold Fish (Japanese)
No (Spanish)
Manuscripts Don’t Burn (Persian)
Vincere (Italian)
Kon-Tiki (Norwegian)
Burning Bush (Czechoslovakian)
9th Company (Russian)
Violette (French)
Virtual Branch: WPL on the Web

Chalkboard that says Community Information.

Find Community Information on Information Durham  

For all of the power of the internet, sometimes the things closest to home can be hard to find. Take community services. Sometimes it’s difficult to navigate through all of the different services available or know which group to contact when in need. And even if you do, not every organization has a web presence.

Fortunately, there’s a website set up exactly for this purpose.Information Durham, a program of the Durham Region United Way, is a local directory run by professionals in the area, designed to help you find local services and organizations. Looking for legal assistance, a specialty medical clinic, counseling, an environmental conservation group or a food bank? Information Durham is the place to go.

Information Durham is as simple to use as Google. You can enter an organization name or keywords, and you can limit your search by municipality. You can also browse through a list of organizations and broad service categories. It also offers a very cool volunteer opportunity search feature, which is great for high school students seeking volunteer hours or anyone who wants to contribute their time to a cause.

We live in a community full of amazing people and organizations. Learn more about what they have to offer through Information Durham.

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