Sunday January 11th, 2015 The Library Detective Retires: Meet @ Your Library!

After 20 years, Library Detective is getting an update! Introducing @ Your Library, a column that will feature information about what is happening at your Thunder Bay Public Library. Every month, our goal is to focus on each of these topics; our different collections, upcoming programs and events, services that we offer, and replies to your feedback. As the Thunder Bay Public Library continues to evolve, we want to keep you informed and @ Your Library is one more way we can achieve this. But first let’s take a look back at how the Library Detective column started.

The first Library Detective article was featured in the Chronicle Journal on June 11, 1995 and was written by librarian Betty Braaksma. At the time, Betty was Head of the Information Services department for the Thunder Bay Public Library. The first article shared some of the unusual questions the Information Services staff received and answered (and we still answer unusual questions today). For example, how much would it cost to buy an ostrich? Answer: a pair of adult birds would cost $75,000 and one fertilized egg would cost $1,200. Articles were first written in a question and answer style but over time the column evolved as the library continued to grow and change. Since the first article appeared, library staff have written almost 800 Library Detective columns!

@ Your Library will continue to be published in the Chronicle Journal every Sunday and will also be available online here! Older Library Detective articles can also be searched for using the online resource Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History . 

If you have a suggestion for a @ Your Library column or would like to share your thoughts on one of our articles, you can leave a comment here, or email us at comments@tbpl.ca. And if you have an unusual question, the trained staff at your Thunder Bay Public Library are still available to help.

Lindsey Long