Barbara Frum District Blog

Stompin' Tom saved my career, or, you might think it's goofy, but the new librarian is a newbie....

The year, 1990. The setting, the Audio Visual Department at North York Central Library where, a few nervous months after arriving in Canada, I had begun working in a temporary position.  I might have been the first South African librarian they had worked with. It is certain that I was probably one of the most confused and also one of the luckiest they had met.

 

As any newcomer to Canada or any other country soon finds out, being the "new kid on the block" involves so much more than learning a new language or which side of the road to drive on. Once, I listened to a programme on CBC in the 1990's about newcomers to Canada. Of  the many people who were interviewed for the show, the vast majority stated that it was much harder trying to integrate into the new culture than the actually learning of English as a Second Language. It is such a good thing that today there are so many wonderful resources for newcomers such as LIP and settlement.org .

 Anyway, returning to my early, angst-drenched days here  - would my previous experience be enough to keep the job? Would I fit in with the work group? Would my accent prevent me being understood? How would I ever manage to learn the intricate booking sytem? And who on earth was Stompin' Tom? What did he do? And why was he so important to one of my colleagues in particular?

Soon I was enlightened. Somewhere between the "voluntary" viewing of an old 16mm film, Across This Land with Stompin' Tom Connors and the gleeful, unabashed joy of those watching me watch the film, Stompin Tom got to me.  Seeing him in all his everyman glory, stamping away in his famous style, sharing the love he had for all things CA-NA-DA.  From that unlikely moment on, the Stompin' Tom bond grew between myself and my colleagues. From the annual Stompin Tom parties held at the end of each crazy year,to any mention of Bud the Spud, by any of us, warm chuckles would soon erupt and often an extra snippet of info about him would emerge.

In this bizarrely unexpected way, my first feeling of community in Canada slowly developed. Slowly but surely, my knowledge of Canadiana grew and so did my confidence. It wasn't too long before I realised that I need not feel bad that Tim Horton hadn't invited me personally for a coffee, because "he" was a chain.  And I soon stopped bumping into people when I realised that one walked on the right down supermarket aisles.

So, thanks to all of you from AV - you know who you are! - and thanks to Stompin' Tom, I found out all about Canada and how goofy it was to be a Newbie. I mean Newfy.

The wearing of the green

St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17^th has become a day when everyone, regardless of nationality, is Irish for the day.  On “St. Paddy’s Day”, people flock to their local pub for a drink with friends, usually donning something green, because it is a day associated with mirth and merriment.  Banners, signs and t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Kiss me, I’m Irish” can be seen everywhere, in addition to pictures of shamrocks and leprechauns.  Spirited Irish music can be heard and many an impromptu song can erupt from crowds of happy revelers.  How much is known about the history of St. Patrick though?

 In the Catholic calendar, the feast day of St. Patrick is March 17^th.  St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, even though he was not Irish by birth.  It is believed that St. Patrick was of English or Scottish origin, and he journeyed to Ireland as a missionary.  There are many legends associated with him, including the famous tale in which he banished all the snakes from Ireland. 

 If you are interested in finding out more about the origins of St. Patrick’s Day and the history of St. Patrick himself, check out these titles available through the Toronto Public Library catalogue:

 

                                      

 

The History of St. Patrick’s Day (DVD) and The Wearing of the Green by Mike Cronin.

 

Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world in both religious and secular ways.  Here in Toronto, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Sunday, March 17^th, beginning at 12:00 noon.

The procession will travel east from Bloor and St. George Street to Bloor and Yonge Street, then proceed south along Yonge Street to Queen Street, and finally proceed west to University Ave. where it will end at Nathan Phillips Square.  For more information, please visit the parade website at http://www.topatrick.com/

Since no celebration is quite complete without some lively Irish music, be sure to tune into CHIN radio’s Irish and Scottish hour http://www.chinradio.com/radio-programs/irish-scottish/ hosted by Toronto’s beloved Irish personality, radio host, comedian, entertainer and 2010 Irish Person Of The Year, Hugo Straney 

However you decide to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, may the luck of the Irish be with you and if you’re heading out for a pint of green beer somewhere, don’t forget the Irish Gaelic for cheers: Sláinte!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                  

Your library - open even when we are closed

The cold weather has settled in and doesn't seem to be leaving any time soon. For me, one of the great pleasures of living in a cold climate, is snuggling up under a blanket with a piping hot drink, a beloved pet and a great read. If you were paying attention, you would have realised that I didn't mention the word "book". I truly believe that we are in the epicentre of a tremendous change in the publishing and reading world and that books will one day imply a very explicit form of medium. In the same way that we don't use the word "record" any longer, but "album". Many of us readers love the tactile experience of holding an actual book; many speak of their love of "that new book smell". Yet there is something to be said for the sheer convenience of carrying many books in one compact light device, with features that may make up for not being a physical "book". Personally, I love being able to change the size and even the font when I am reading and very little  beats the guilty bliss of being able to read at night in bed after "lights out" time. I also love the fact that when I have run out of good reading material, I can simply log in to the TPL website from anywhere, find something new to eread , download a book, an audiobook or even a children's book by a familiar or a totally new author and be reading something deliciously new in minutes. And - did you know - you can now get French, Chinese, Spanish and Russian eBooks!

Your library continues to evolve, and offers you the opportunity of discovering the wonderful world of eReading. In the near future, I will be exploring these and other amazing reference resources you can read from home, your local coffee shop or even while on holiday.

Stay tuned!

 

The Real Housewives

If you haven't watch an episode of The Real Housewives, then Im sure you've at least heard about the reality television series, which follows the lives of extremely rich housewives in different cities all over America and Canada.  The series began in 2006 with the Real Housewives of Orange County and has since expanded to New York, Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Miami and Vancouver.  I didn't jump on the series till Beverly Hills but I was hooked right away.  Sometimes watching mindless TV is the best solution after a hard day.  I admit that the show can be tasteless at times but the drama is always good and I find that it's always fun to watch the lives of the rich and famous.  Whether you like the Housewives or not, its hard not to know what is going on in their lives because they are everywhere.  From magazine covers to book deals, they seem to get more and more popular every day.  For more information, check out some of these titles written by the Housewives themselves.

         

         

Looking for that Next Great Read for your Child?

Looking for something new to read to your child?  Check out some of the great lists we have on our website: 

	First & Best  is our annual list of top Canadian books for children from birth to five including picture books like I Can Do it Myself and Mr. Zinger's Hat.
	You can also go to Kidspace and look in  Books & Stories  for more great reads:
	100 Great Books offer some of the best books for all ages.
	If you're looking for books for a specific age, look no further than Great Books , where the Pick Below drop-down menu offers you lists of great books from Preschool to Grade 6.
	If it's Adventure & Sports, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fun & Humour or any other type of book you need, Great Books  offers suggestions for all ages.
	Check out which Canadian books won awards in 2012 by searching Award Winners .
	Kids can also read and watch stories online by going to Read-a-Story  and looking at the recommended sites.
	Tumblebook Cloud offers ebooks, read along chapter books and graphic novels as well as videos and audio books.
	Children of all ages can Hear-a-Story in English and a range of other languages including French, Italian, Polish, Urdu, Mandarin, Korean and Russian.
	While we're on the topic of Great Reads, don't forget to have your child participate in our Design -A -Bookmark-Contest. Enter soon!  Contest finishes Saturday, February 9.  You can pick up your entry form at the library or download the form here.

 

 

The Parent Inclusion Project

Do we understand disability adequately? Do we convince ourselves to see disability as a check – yes, check-no kind of answer? What if we thought of it more like a spectrum of abilities with all of us lying somewhere in between? We know some people need more help than others – sometimes temporarily and other times ongoing. The Parent Inclusion Project funded by the Ministry of Ontario is a project that aims to reach out and work with parents from Lawrence Heights, Neptune and Lotherton – and the areas in between – to support parents that want to become more involved in the educational needs of their children.

In a series of workshops beginning at the Friday Night Café in Lawrence Heights on Friday February 22, 2013 at 6:30 p.m., the LHION Education Workgroup is pulling together resources to identify the range of needs to help children of all abilities to make the most of their education.

Download LHION Education Workgroup - electronic flyer FINAL

Here are some light picture books that will help understand disability and special needs in children. Share them with friends and family – and get involved in the Parent Inclusion Project.

     

Manners? for the 21st century.

   Most of us will know who Emily Post and Amy Vanderbilt are, or at least be familiar with their many books about etiquette.  (Emily Post died in 1960, but the books continue to be written by Elizabeth and Peggy Post.)  When we were young, we were taught to say  Please and Thank You, and other basics of politeness.  We were expected to be on our "best behaviour" when out in public, and generally polite at home.

    A few years ago, Miss Manners started writing books, with her take on some of the social situations that face people in the modern world – ones that Emily Post might never have imagined.

    And there are plenty of books available addressing specific situations such as weddings, how to  interact with people of other cultures and in business settings.

    But many people will have also noticed a decline in social graces, and have written about this as well.  Lynne Truss wrote a bestseller in 2005, with “Talk to the hand: the utter bloody rudeness of the world today, or six good reasons to stay home and bolt the door.”   Lucinda Holdforth added to the debate in 2007, with “Why manners matter: the case for civilized behavior in a barbarous world.”   Others have chimed in, with “The Civility solution: what to do when people are rude,” by P. M. Forni, and let us know that this sort of thing can cost us money, with “The Cost of bad behavior: how incivility is damaging your business and what to do about it”. 

    Some of the titles are more humourous, such as “I see rude people: one woman’s battle to beat some manners into impolite society” and “Classy: be a lady, not a tramp”.

    We think that this is a 21^st century decline, but there was a book in 1998 called “Can I fax you a thank-you note?”

    But have things really gone too far, because of the ease of social media?  In 2010, Ilana Gershon wrote “The Breakup 2.0 : disconnecting over social media.”  It seems that while breaking up used to be  hard to do – it's much easier now -  you just send a tweet or post it on Facebook.

     

                     
 
     

You are what you Eat

I recently became more aware (and proactive) of the food I put into my body.  Research studies and news reports about restaurant dining and processed foods have me a bit concerned.   I usually don’t give in that easy – there are strong associations with almost everything these days but all things seem to point at the fact that ‘you are what you eat,’ as the old proverb goes.

I know that making your own food is the best way of controlling what goes into your body but I always made excuses, mostly highlighting the time and effort put into making food for one person.  I know that food can be stored and eaten sequentially but it wasn’t enough to get me going.

Then over a casual lunch conversation, a colleague shared some easy to make recipes.   It sparked me to do some searching.  I discovered that there are many resources that help make cooking easy, fast and healthy - three targets that a young cook desires.

Here are some resources that I’m using:

   

Reading is SNOW Much Fun!

                                                               Barbara Frum Winter Display with thanks to Anna Rita & Melanie

When you’re an adult you sometimes forget about the magic of snow, and how much fun it can be.  We tend to think more about the inconvenience of shoveling, the icy sidewalks, and the slippery slushy roads.  We need to try and look at it through the eyes of a child and remember how magical snow is, how much fun we had building snowmen, snow forts, snowball fights, tobogganing, or simply catching snowflakes on our tongues.  My daughter was ecstatic when she looked out the window last week and saw the snow that she has been waiting for for weeks was finally here.  We could barely get breakfast into her before she rushed us out the door to play.  After an hour or so out in the snow we went back inside to warm up, and spent some time huddled by the fire reading some of her favorite books as we sipped some hot chocolate.  It was truly magical.  Here are some wonderful books about snow to help you and your family get into the winter spirit:

                  

                  

Barbara Frum's next month's Book Club read for 2013 is ...

All are welcome to the 2013 Barbara Frum Book Club Tuesday meetings from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Room A on the third floor of the library.

 

Meeting dates for 2013 are as follows:

• January 22 - Major Pettigrew's last stand by Helen Simonson
• February 19 - Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by Jamie Ford and/or The tale-teller by Susan Glickman
• March 19 - We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
• April 23 - Keep Toronto Reading One Book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• May 21 - The virgin Cure by Ami McKay
• June 18 - The free world by David Bezmozgis (2011 Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalist - Fiction and Shortlisted for the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize)
• September 24
• October 22
• November 19
• December 17

Visit this post again to click on the dates above for more information about the book we will be reading for that month. Join us and share your views on this featured book of the month.

For more information and to register, call 416-395-5440.