Sunday February 9th, 2014 First Nations Public Library Week

First Nations Public Library week (FNPLW) runs February 10-15. This year's theme for the week is Celebrating Mother Earth.  It is a week in which public libraries throughout Ontario celebrate the important role that libraries play in First Nation communities. As stated on the FNPLW website: "This year's celebration theme focuses on promoting the role of First Nation public libraries in the celebration of Mother Earth. First Nations are inherently tied to the land through their tradition, culture and language, all of which are rooted in the gifts of Mother Earth. As a natural provider and a primary educator, Mother Earth teaches everyone the importance of celebration, protection, nurturing and revival. First Nation public libraries play a key role in the support and advocacy of each of these elements by opening the doors to information, traditional learning, cultural knowledge, sharing and storytelling."  

 Thunder Bay Public Library is proud to be a supporter of FNPLW. We support the work of First Nation public libraries through our programs and collections, as well as displays and welcoming decor. The lower level of the Waverley library has an area dedicated to promoting First Nations history, culture and other areas of interest. TBPL has a large collection of aboriginal music, language learning resources and books of historical and cultural interest. Our fiction collection houses an expansive array of First Nation authors including Joseph Boyden, Louise Erdrich, Drew Hayden Taylor, Tomson Highway and others.

 In 2012, the library was pleased to host Richard Wagamese as part of CBC Canada Reads as his novel Indian Horse was one of the titles chosen to contend for the honour of being "the one book all Canada should read".  While it did not receive that honour, being voted off on the third day of the battle in a tense tie-breaker, Indian Horse did get selected to be this year's First Nation Community Reads title. It was chosen from a list of 35 titles by Aboriginal authors and will now be the title that is read in First Nation and other Ontario communities over the next few months as they "encourage family literacy, intergenerational storytelling, and the publication, sharing, and understanding of Aboriginal voices and experiences."Richard Wagamese titles are in the TBPL collection - some in both hardcopy and e-book versions. If you belong to a book club, we even have Indian Horse in our "Book Club in a Bag" collection.  If you would rather be read to, an oral tradition that is very much a part of First Nations culture, then plan to take part in some children's Aboriginal Storytelling the week.  Aboriginal Storytime with Serena Essex happens February 15 at the Waverley Library at 2:30 pm.

Recognize First Nation Public Library Week and Celebrate Mother Earth this week.  Check out resources at your public library by visiting us virtually at www.tbpl.ca or in person at any of our four branches. 

Barbara Philp