Huron County Library | Huron County Library

Huron County Library receives Minister’s Award for Innovation for In Your Backyard program

by Huron County Library | Feb 9, 2023 | In Your Backyard, News, Programming

The Huron County Library is honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Minister’s Award for Innovation in recognition of the In Your Backyard program.

Presented to library staff at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference on Feb. 2 in Toronto, this Ontario Public Library Service Award recognizes successful new approaches that demonstrate a positive impact to the community and are of continued value to public libraries.

In the spring of 2022, library staff hosted In Your Backyard, a virtual local travel series that highlighted several hidden gems found across Huron County. Inspired by Ontario West Coast’s tourism program which ran during the pandemic, staff worked with local municipalities to invite participants to learn more about the communities and businesses found right in their backyard. Building on the popularity of the program, the library partnered with the County of Huron’s Economic Development department to offer an exciting summer giveaway that further encouraged people to get out and explore these hidden gems for a chance to win a Huron County weekend get-away. Locations represented each municipality in the County and were chosen to ensure they were accessible and free for everyone to enjoy.

“I am so proud In Your Backyard was recognized for its efforts to collaborate with our local communities to highlight all of the incredible things available so close to home,” said Beth Rumble, County Librarian and Director of Cultural Services. “The program provided the opportunity for the library to support our communities and businesses who were in a state of rebuilding after the pandemic, and to give people the chance to safely get out and explore Huron’s hidden gems.”

While the program ended in September, 2022, Huron’s hidden gems are still available to explore!

During the conference awards ceremony, the Huron County Library was also presented with a certificate for reaccreditation as an Accredited Ontario Public Library. This designation was granted by the Ontario Public Library Guidelines Monitoring and Accreditation Council in recognition of excellence in library service. A library is judged and rated on more than 175 guidelines that evaluate library services, resources, planning and policy. Completing the accreditation process is an opportunity to highlight a library system’s capabilities and to identify areas for improvement. Huron County Library achieved an overall score of 98.3 per cent. Library accreditation is an optional process of which only 40 other Ontario libraries have successfully completed. Achieving this standard demonstrates that Huron County has an exceptional library system.

Passport to Discovery

by Huron County Library | Jan 28, 2023 | Children & Families

Calling all young explorers! Adventure awaits you with the Huron County Library’s Passport to Discovery program. Pick up a passport from your local branch to begin a full year of learning, reading, doing, and having a whole lot of fun! Visit your local branch each month to pick up a themed craft kit and activity sheet. Once you have completed at least one of the activities, return to the branch to get your passport stamped and ballot entered into a grand prize draw that will take place at the end of the program in February, 2024.

To kick things off, February’s theme is Fairy Tales and includes the following acitvities:

Pick up a Take & Make Kit to make a Frog Prince Pin-up Game. Based off the famous fairy tale, this craft is perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Go on a Fairy Tale Scavenger Hunt to find the fairy tale characters hiding around your local branch.
Write your own fairy tale using a dice and the story prompts shared on this month’s activity sheet.
Read one of these fairy tale-themed books from our collection.
Download this month’s activity sheet if you prefer to get started from home.

Tiny Art Show

by Huron County Library | Jan 13, 2023 | Adults, Art, Teens

Get creative this winter by participating in the Clinton Branch‘s Tiny Art Show! Pick up a 5” X 5” board from the branch and get creative with your tiny artwork. Use your own art supplies to decorate your board (paint, draw, decoupage, collage, sew, etc.) or attend an in-person decorating event taking place on Saturday, Feb. 25 or Saturday, March 18, 1-3 p.m. We will have an assortment of art supplies available.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 20. The Tiny Art Show opening will be held on March 30, 7 p.m. Artwork will be displayed in the library from March 30 to April 28, 2023. Tiny refreshments will be served.

Download an entry form and return to the Clinton Branch along with your piece by March 20. Entry forms are also available from the branch.

Art Show Rules:

One board per person or group. Available while supplies last.
Teens and adults may participate.
No candles or electrical devices, including battery operated.
Objects, paper, and materials of any kind, except food, may be glued to the canvas, but artwork must remain 5” X 5” and must be able to hang flat against the wall.
Please write your name on the back of the canvas and include an arrow to show which way is the top.
After the show opening on March 30, artwork will be displayed until April 28. Art will be available for pick-up beginning Friday, April 28 at the Circulation Desk. The last day to pick up your artwork will be Friday, May 5. Please note, any artwork not picked up will become library property for use as we deem fit.
The Huron County Library reserves the right to refuse any work considered unsuitable and/or does not meet these guidelines. Or if it cannot be accommodated safely or comfortably within the library space.
By participating in the Clinton Branch Tiny Art Show, you agree to allow Huron County Library to publicly display and photograph your art for promotion and engagement.

What’s new for teens?

by Huron County Library | Oct 3, 2022 | Teens

There is a lot happening at the Goderich Branch for teens this fall!

YA Lounge: Upgrades

Did you know that the Goderich Branch has its very own area just for teens? This space is reserved for patrons ages 12-18 and has recently been updated. It now has a laptop bar installed looking out the windows onto Montreal Street. Teens can bring their own device or borrow a laptop from the branch!

YA Lounge: Nintendo Switch

The YA Lounge also has a big screen TV and a new Nintendo Switch. Enjoy Mario Party, Mario Kart and a selection of other ‘retro’ games. Let us know what games you want us to purchase! All you need to come in and play is a Huron County Library card.

Teen Program: Cards & Controller

Are you interested in trying out a new board game? Do you want to challenge your friends to a game of Mario Kart? Join us every Monday from 6-7:30 p.m. for this fun drop-in program just for teens.

Teen Reviewers

Teens can earn volunteer hours by writing book reviews for the Huron County Library! It’s a great way to share your favourite books with other teens in Huron County.

Virtual Dungeons & Dragons

Go on an epic fantasy adventure, right from the comfort of your own home! Learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons from the ground up in a hands-on virtual game (or series of games) geared towards beginners. This program runs weekly on Thursday evenings. Participants are welcome to join at any time.

Respectful Subject Headings Project

by Huron County Library | Sep 29, 2022 | News, Service Updates

Since January 2021, the Huron County Library has been taking steps to update catalogue subject headings to be respectful and inclusive to all members of society. This project was spurred on by the social need for improved representation in library catalogues for Indigenous peoples, who are currently identified using colonial and offensive terms, which libraries across Canada have deemed unacceptable for further use. Libraries rely heavily on subject headings to provide access to information. When terminology is incorrect, or disrespectful, this affects the users both consciously and sub-consciously, often reinforcing stereotypes and bias.

The Library began receiving catalogue records from our material vendor, Library Services Centre, that included updated Indigenous subject headings that are based on the great work done by the Greater Victoria Public Library system, who shared their list of respectful headings compiled from a variety of sources including the University of Manitoba, the Association of Manitoba Archives, and through resources put out by the Indigenous Corporate Training Incorporation such as Indigenous Peoples: a Guide to Terminology, Usage Tips and Definitions for Indigenous peoples and subjects.

At the time, these headings were not the official authority subject headings put out by the Library of Congress or by Library and Archives Canada, however the demand was too great to wait for these institutions to come to an industry standard. Since then, Library and Archives Canada has begun extensive work on Canadian Subject Headings that will be used in our records as they come available.

In order to update headings already in our catalogue, Huron County Library joined a committee along with other members of the Ontario Library Consortium to work on a system for updating subject headings and have begun compiling a list of old headings within the catalogue, are finding valid new headings from the agreed upon sources, and then updating or records on a monthly basis. These ongoing updates aim to remove bias, improve access and look for new ways of describing material. While our records will continue to hold the official Library of Congress or Canadian Authority Heading, as well as the updated versions of the headings until the official authority records change, once complete, this work will enable a dynamic, multilingual set of terminologies applied to all Indigenous Peoples, places, heritage, tradition, and communities.

Huron County Library is a supporter of Indigenous Authors and of the First Nations Communities Read Program. Check out some of this year’s titles!