Summer Reading Week 8: Mail Around the World

Summer Reading Week 8: Mail Around the World

Dear Summer Reading Kids,  

After getting active and engaged in some international games, we’re taking a look across the world to New Zealand with our theme “Mail around the world”!  

Get your pens and papers ready, because this week we are going to write some super cool letters to our friends all the way on the other side of the world in a library in New Zealand! The Wellington Library is in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. They live in the North Island, also called Te Ika-a-Māui, in the language Māori! Wellington is right beside the Tasman sea, which is the ocean. In our letters we will ask questions about life in New Zealand, draw pictures for our new friends, and tell them about our lives in Huron County! 

We will be reading a book called A Letter to my Best Friend by Yangsook Choi, a story about a boy who writes a letter through pictures to his best friend who lives all the way across the world in a country called Korea.

For anyone who can’t make it this week, we have something special for you too! This colouring sheet is a fun way to spend time, print it off at your library or at home! You can also try to write a letter to a friend or family member and see if you can bring it to them or send it in the mail! You can also check out our week 8 online reading list to find a book about letters or mail that you’ll love! 

As this is our last week, it’s a chance for us to say goodbye to our new friends, as well as giving out our final prizes for reading excellence! 

Thank you all for an amazing summer, 

Sincerely,  

Nadine and A.J.  

Fall Craft Swap 2025

Fall Craft Swap 2025

Calling all crafters! Love crafting and love seeing others enjoy what you make? Join the Fall Craft Swap where you will be partnered with another crafter in Huron County!

Make your partner a custom craft, while they do the same for you! All crafting mediums welcome – knitting, crocheting, sewing, candle making, pottery, scrapbooking, needlefelting, etc. The sky is the limit!

Guidelines: We ask that you craft TWO small items or ONE medium sized item.

  • Medium = A scarf, a wallet, a set of notecards (4), a reusable shopping bag
  • Small = A piece of jewelry, a bookmark, a washcloth, a facemask, a small candle

Please note that a library staff person will be in touch with you between Sept. 3 and 8 to assign your partner. You will have from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8 to craft. Please drop your completed craft off to your local Huron County Library branch between Oct. 8 and Oct. 14 (or earlier). You will receive the craft from your partner soon after. A library staff person will send email reminders along the way. Please ensure that crafts do not exceed the size of a standard tote box (28” x 17” x 15″).

*Should a partner not complete a craft, an alternate partner will be arranged. Should multiple partners not complete a craft, individuals may be paired with one another. Pre-completed crafts will be used in reassignments (no need to make an entirely new craft!).

Important Dates:

  • Registration: Aug. 13 – Sept. 3
  • Partner Assigned: Sept. 3-8
  • Crafting: Sept. 8-Oct. 8
  • Craft Due: Oct. 8-14

Registration: Huron County Library Fall Craft Swap | Huron County Connects (connectedcountyofhuron.ca)

Need some inspiration? Explore our online catalogue for a wide variety of crafty books or explore Creativebug, an online resource that offers online craft workshops for free with a Huron County Library card!  

 

Ontario Genealogical Society – Huron Branch collection moves to the Seaforth Branch

Ontario Genealogical Society – Huron Branch collection moves to the Seaforth Branch

The Huron County Library is pleased to announce the extensive collection of genealogical materials from the Ontario Genealogical Society – Huron Branch has been relocated to the Huron County Library’s Seaforth Branch.

This important collection includes:

  • local family histories
  • cemetery records
  • census information
  • church records
  • other historical resources essential to those researching their Huron County roots.

Once housed at the log cabin at the Huron County Museum, the move to the Seaforth Branch ensures improved accessibility, preservation, and integration with the library’s existing local history resources.

The collection is available for in-person research at the Seaforth Branch only. OGS members will continue to be the main point of contact for the collection, providing volunteer support for research requests. Researchers can arrange appointments to meet volunteers during regular branch hours of operation by emailing huronchair@ogs.on.ca. Materials are for in-branch use only.

For more information about this collection and other local history and genealogical research materials available through the Huron County Library, visit: https://www.huroncountylibrary.ca/special-collections/

Celebrating Pride Month

Celebrating Pride Month

The Huron County Library is celebrating Pride Month by sharing valuable resources, participating in community events, and hosting activities in our branches.

Here is a round-up of what’s happening throughout June:

Huron County Pride Outreach: The Huron County Library is popping up at this year’s Huron County Pride Festival! Find us on the Square in downtown Goderich on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and take in the amazing activities happening throughout the day!

2SLGBTQ+ Art Exhibition: We Have Always Been Here: Join the Exeter Branch and the Huron Cultural Office for a vibrant 2SLGBTQ+ Art Exhibition in honour of Pride Month! The exhibition runs June 5-19, with exhibit opening on June 5, 4 p.m., and reception on June 12, 4-6 p.m. Learn more!

LGBTQ2S+ Resources for young people and their families: Library staff have put together a valuable resource guide to support young people and their families. The guide features links to online resources, books from our collection, local supports, and more.

Crooked Teeth: Virtual Pride Author Talk with Danny Ramadan: To celebrate Pride Month, join us Wednesday, June 18, 7 p.m., for a conversation with Danny Ramadan about his book Crooked Teeth: a Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir. Register online.

Bead the Rainbow: Celebrating Pride: Drop into Goderich and Bayfield Branches during regular branch hours through the month of June to craft your own bright, bold, and rainbow bracelets. Whether you want to show off your Pride, make a gift for a friend, or just enjoy some creative fun, we’ve got all the beads and supplies you need. 

Book Raffle: The Library is raffling off 10 LGBTQ2S+ books for a variety of ages (picture books, junior fiction, young adult, adult fiction, and adult non-fiction). Find ballots throughout the month of June at all 12 branches or visit us at the Huron Pride Festival.

Pride Craft: Drop into the Exeter Branch on Friday, June 6, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., to celebrate Pride Month by making a fun craft! All supplies will be provided. Ages: 5+

New Skip the Line collection gives instant access to popular titles

New Skip the Line collection gives instant access to popular titles

Tired of long wait times on popular books? The Huron County Library is thrilled to introduce Skip the Line, a new collection of popular titles that patrons can access more quickly. Visit any one of our 12 branches in person to find a selection of popular titles you can borrow without placing a hold or waiting for a title to become available. 

Here’s how it works:

  • Skip the Line books are available on a first come, first served basis – if you see it on the shelf, it’s yours for the borrowing!
  • The books are clearly marked with a special Skip the Line book wrap.
  • Books in the Skip the Line collection are not holdable.
  • They can be borrowed for one week only, so be sure to only borrow what you can get through in a week, as they are not renewable! 
  • Return them to the branch borrowed from so the next patron can skip the line!

Each quarter, Huron County Library branches will have new titles added to this collection. Titles will be selected based solely on wait times and predicted popularity. All titles in this collection will also have copies in the general collection that can be placed on hold and checked out for the regular loan period. Books will be assigned to specific branches and we encourage patrons to return them to the branch the item was borrowed from.

If you have a hold on the general collection copy, it will still be fulfilled in turn unless cancelled. If you got lucky by picking up a Skip the Line book, be sure to ask staff to cancel your hold on the general collection copy or you can cancel it yourself through your library account online: https://huron.bibliocommons.com/