Book Club Frenzy!

For all you readers out there who have got that burning desire to get together with others and discuss the literary themes of an intriguing book, you’re gonna love the new service we now have at the library.

First and foremost, if you are interested in starting a book club but don’t know which book to choose, we now have book club kits in English and French that can be borrowed from the Reference desk. There are currently fourteen kits, each containing eight novels and a folder with information about the book, such as reviews, biographies of the author, interviews, and discussion questions. These kits are a great start to having and continuing that book club you have always wanted.

If you have found the kit you want but have no place to discuss, there’s a solution to that too! We now offer a room every Thursday that you can reserve for these book club discussions. The room is available the whole day and can be booked in four hour slots. Meet up with your group every month in the morning, afternoon, or evening---whichever is better for everyone.

For more information about what kits are available and to reserve the room for your club, just call the library at (514) 485-6900 and ask for Reference. I personally have never been part of a book club but it really is a fun way to wind down and share your thoughts and ideas with friends about how stories affect you. It gives you the excuse to really commit yourself to something you love and look forward to every month, and in between----you’re reading! While I’m at the reference desk, I invite you to come by to express your interest in this great idea. I hope you will be excited as ever to start a club and use the services and facilities that we have to offer. Happy reading to all and enjoy!

Electric Movie Energy

Only days remain until the third presentation of Passion for Movies on Wednesday, 24 October 2007, at 7pm to be exact. Those in attendance at the last couple of events already know it is a wonderful chance to hear a bit more about film favourites from various Audio Visual staff members.

What is not widely known is the amazing effort put into the one night of cinematic magic. Sarah, Manager of Adult Services, is the talented Master of Ceremonies as the evening unrolls. Dolores, Programs Assistant, works on all the behind the scenes elements like seating, ensuring the handout looks great and finding Fair Trade coffee to correspond with one of her film presentations. Angela, Desk Clerk extraordinaire, works with you to ensure your entertainment needs are met. Deby is the one who makes sure all the Audio Visual material looks so sharp before it hits the shelves. Steven starts the ball rolling by choosing the good things and cataloguing them.

I, your humble scribe and Audio Visual Desk Clerk, Patricia, am looking forward to your presence on Wednesday, the 24th of October at 7 at night. All of the diligent work from our talented team will pay off in spades, as we wait with bated breath to share with you some new movies, a classic, those dear to our hearts, ones that inform, entertain, enlighten and intrigue us.

Un nouveau visage de notre bibliothèque

Le comptoir de prêt a récemment été aménagé d’un grand écran, offrant ainsi aux fidèles membres de la bibliothèque aussi bien qu’à ses chers visiteurs, une nouvelle tonalité, un sens visuel. Cet écran vise d’abord et avant tout à vous informer, vous les résidents de Côte Saint-Luc, de ce qui se passe dans votre propre communauté comme par exemple les dates de : la rencontre mensuelle avec le maire, les prochaines séances du conseil de la ville, la collecte des résidus… Toutefois, il y en a aussi de quoi occuper tout le monde : les nouvelles, la météo, les divers événements de la bibliothèque, les nouveautés en matière de lecture, de la publicité…

Comme on dit souvent « une image vaut mille mots », voir la chose est beaucoup plus efficace que la lire. À tous et toutes qui n’ont pas encore visité la bibliothèque depuis sa rénovation majeure en 2006, ou ceux et celles qui viennent régulièrement sans prendre compte de ce nouvel ajout, ne vous contentez pas de ma simple description, venez nous rendre visite et prenez quelques minutes pour découvrir et apprécier l’écran informatique. Vous voulez annoncer une nouvelle dans votre quartier, maintenant vous pouvez. Venez vous informer auprès de nous. Divertissement, culture et publicité sont au rendez-vous ! Où ? Au comptoir de prêt. Quand ? Quotidiennement, de 10h le matin à 22h le soir. Je vous promets, vous ne le regretterez pas !

Research is just one click away!

Are you ever up in the wee hours of the night trying to pull together that last minute assignment that’s due the next morning? Need the right resources or sources from a reliable place but realize that the library is closed?

Remember, it’s getting close to that time of year again where midterms are coming up and you need to hand in those huge papers that are worth half your final grade! Not to worry---the articles you may need can be found online through our library’s website 24/7. Just go to the Reference and Research section where you can look through our databases and retrieve timely articles on practically any subject you are looking for.

Want a simple trustworthy description of a person, place or thing? Go to our online encyclopedias. Want a few articles to strengthen your argument on a topic? Choose from databases such as Proquest, Biblio-Branchée, Masterfile Premier, Repère and more! Looking for information on business? ThomasNet and Canadian Company Capabilities can help.

For the Literature students out there, try our databases that will help with reviews of books or author information. The convenience of having these jewels online at any time is a gift and life-saver. Don’t forget that we also have a “useful websites” section that might help you search for tidbits of information when you need to research stuff in the areas of Government, Health, and Law. Even as a librarian, using these databases have really helped me find the right type of information for a patron when they didn’t have their own computer, or know the fastest way to retrieve an effective outcome. Take advantage of the databases online because it was a blessing to use these overnight when I, myself was a student. Time is of the essence, so when it’s 2:00am and you still need that perfect article, all you have to do is click! Happy researching and good luck!

School Services

Where does the time go? It is already October! Leaves are falling, the weather’s cooling and summer’s just another memory. The kids have all gotten back into their school routines. While teachers are busy preparing their lesson plans which usually includes a project in mid-October.

In our quest to make life easier for both the student and the teacher, the Library has developed a wonderful school service program. For example, we can prepare project material for teachers so that their class will have access to the information that they need. Teachers are welcome to bring their classes into the library to do research on their topics or to learn research techniques. Last year we had quite a few classroom visits which were all very successful.

I’ve always found it rewarding to locate the right book that a child needs for their project. You can’t help it, their excitement is very contagious. I encourage all Côte Saint-Luc Schools and teachers to call or come in. We’re here to help.

Talk to the Hand

Ever wonder what a baby is trying to say?

Baby sign language is an increasingly popular form of communication among babies and parents that is thought to promote the development of language skills, reduce tantrums and create feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment amongst babies. For the first time, the library is offering a Baby Sign Language course with specialist Dianne Gallant M.Ed. This four week course is aimed at teaching parents and babies the skills they need to communicate with their hands. The course begins on November 23 and registration has just begun. For more information, click on the Children’s page of our website (www.elcslpl.org) and then click on the Babies link.