Sunday 31 December 2017

Sunday December 31st, 2017 New Years Resolutions


Your Library can help you with your New Year’s resolutions by supporting you with free, reliable information and services.  Speaking of free, if you resolved to save money, then plan regular visits to your Library.  All four locations have free wifi, computers you can use to access the internet, newspapers and magazines to read, and books, movies, and music to borrow.  We also have space you can use to play with your kids, study quietly, or meet with friends.  Through our website you can access streaming music and movies, eBooks, online language learning, and databases filled with useful information from trusted sources to help with your homework, hobbies and projects.

Library programs are free, and offered for all ages.  Programs range from storytimes, puppet shows, and children’s crafts, to book clubs, crafts, genealogy, informative and entertaining talks, financial advice, writers groups and movie screenings. Our online calendar is where you can find out what programs are happening.  Visit our website, www.tbpl.ca, and follow the link under “Get Involved” to the calendar. If there’s a program you would like to attend, but which we don’t offer, let us know!

If you resolved to become more active in your community, considering joining our Community Action Panel, Indigenous Advisory Group, or Youth Advisory Council. The Friends of the Library is an active group of volunteers which would also be happy to have you join.  Their work includes running two “Book Nook” stores which sell used books, both Library discards and donated material.  They also help deliver books as part of our Home Service program.

Are you planning to learn another language this year? “Transparent Language” is an interactive, fun, online language course you can access with your Library card.  Go to www.tbpl.ca/learnalanguage to find out more. Over 95 languages are offered, including Cree and Ojibwe, and English as a second language.  We also have language-learning book and CD sets, and a variety of dictionaries and phrase books you can borrow.

Looking to improve your health in 2018? Visit your Library for cookbooks, exercise videos, and workout advice.  Cook Healthy and Quick is one of the many cookbooks you can borrow.   It includes step-by-step recipes, detailed nutritional information, and easy variations.  Which comes first, cardio or weights? by Alex Hutchinson helps navigate the often contradictory advice about exercising. He uses a science-based approach, and offers the latest in research from around the world. Helpful diagrams and practical tips are included. We have a variety of workout DVDs ranging from yoga and chair aerobics to Dancing with the Stars!  Have some fun and dance your way to a toned body with pro dancers from the popular TV show.

If de-cluttering is on your list of things to accomplish in the coming year, we have lots of books to help you with that.  Marie Kondo’s popular book The life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing teaches readers how surrounding yourself with objects that “spark joy” can change your life.  If you can’t bear to part with your stuff, Stanley built-ins and storage by David Schiff is for you. Schiff provides instructions for 17 projects for all areas of the home, from the mudroom to the attic.

Improved money management is a perennial New Year’s resolution. Plan to attend one of the free programs with Kara Polson at your Library in January.  On Tuesday January 16, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, meet with Kara in the Brodie Fireside Reading Room to chat about where to begin to work on your financial goals.  Kara will be at the Waverley Library on Wednesday January 24th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm in the hubHorth area on the ground floor.  She’ll be back in February at both locations (Mon. Feb. 12 at Brodie, Wed. Feb. 28 at Waverley) to focus on RRSPs.  We have a wide range of books about financial planning as well.

In my admittedly biased opinion, the very best thing about any Library is the staff. In 2018 resolve to get to know the folks working at your Library. They are passionate about helping you connect with the information you need, igniting the love of reading in children, and sharing all the Library has to offer.

Joanna Aegard 

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