This Month in Lambton - January 2022

The January 2022 edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• COVID-19 Service Impacts
• Author Talks
• Freedom to Read Challenge
• Forest Library Renovation
• Introduction to Ancestry Library Edition – Learning for Life
• Job Search Club
• Canada Reads 2022 Longlist Announced
• OMC Virtual Programs
• Virtual Talk: Whodunit? The Shaw Gusher Question
• LHM Live Sessions
• Lambton County Archives would like to hear from you!
• LCA Virtual Appointments
• How to prepare for Drinking Water Advisories

COVID-19 Service Impacts

With COVID-19 continuing to circulate in our community and across the province at a rapid pace, impacts to services are anticipated across County divisions.

Steps continue to be taken across all divisions to protect the health and safety of our workforce, as well as ensure essential services remain available to the public. While every effort will be made to ensure continuity of services, some service changes may be implemented to meeting staffing and essential service needs.

Any service changes will be shared as they are implemented and details will be available on the Changes, Closures and Cancellations page of the County website. If you are planning to attend a County facility in person, please call ahead. Where possible, services will be provided over the phone or by email.

We ask that everyone continues to be vigilant and take the steps necessary to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. Please stay home if you are feeling sick (even mildly) and continue practicing basic public health measures.

Author Talks

Learn from award winning authors this winter with Lambton County Library. Throughout February, the Library will virtually host three children’s authors to discuss what it is like to be an author, what their creative writing process is and why literacy is important, particularly for youth.

Authors include Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award winner Shauntay Grant, Brock Greenhalgh and Governor General Award winner Kenneth Oppel.

Spaces are limited! Register online now.

Shauntay Grant – Wednesday, February 2 – 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.

Shauntay Grant is a writer and children’s author. Her picture book “Africville” won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. A descendant of Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and Black Refugees who came to Canada during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, her love of literature stretches back to her storytelling roots in Nova Scotia’s historic Black communities. A former poet laureate for the city of Halifax, she teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University.

Brock Greenhalgh – Saturday, February 12 – 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Brock Greenhalgh has been telling the story of the 1934 Chatham All-Stars baseball team in one form or another for the past 30 years. He was first introduced to the team in 1989 as a university undergrad during a summer stint at the Chatham-Kent Museum. He realized that the team’s story was something special. Thirty years later, as he approached his 50^th birthday he set a goal of writing a children’s book about the Chatham All-Stars who broke baseball’s colour barrier over a decade before Jackie Robinson. Brock will be sharing his book and talking about the All-Stars from Chatham.

Kenneth Oppel - February 16 – 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Kenneth Oppel, a Governor General Award winning author, will be discussing his novel “The Nest”. Using Powerpoint and short readings, Kenneth will introduce readers to the strange ingredients that inspired this novel that explores disability and diversity, fears and dreams, and what ultimately makes a family. He will also discuss his creative process, from brainstorming, outlining, and successive drafts to finished book. The first five registrants will be given a free copy of “The Nest”.

Freedom to Read Challenge

Throughout history, books and magazines have been challenged to be removed from Canadian schools and libraries due to their content. Freedom to Read celebrates the importance of intellectual freedoms and the right for Canadians to read without censorship. How many challenged publications have you read?

Right now, teens have a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card and earn community involvement activity hours! Write and submit a defence of a book on the Freedom to Read Challenged Works List and earn one community involvement activity hour. Learn more about our Freedom to Read Challenge at www.lclibrary.ca/wrp.

Forest Library Renovation

The Forest Library is expected to close for a duration of three and a half weeks starting February 5, 2022 to complete the final phase of a renovation started in the fall of last year. The anticipated reopening date is Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Drop box return bins will also be closed during this time.

To date, the renovation has included the creation of a new meeting room, levelling the floor in the children’s area, new carpet and baseboards, increasing accessibility to technology with the addition of power and data outlets, and updated paint. The final phase of the renovation will include new shelving, a new service desk, and the continuation of new flooring and paint throughout the library.

During this three week closure, patrons are asked to use neighbouring libraries including Watford, Arkona, Thedford, Camlachie, and Wyoming for in-person browsing and scheduled appointments for public computer use.

The Library also encourages cardholders to discover the convenience of its eLibrary services from the comfort of their homes. Using a computer, tablet or smart phone, library cardholders can borrow eBooks, eAudiobooks, stream movies and music, take online courses, access educational programs and more. For more information on locations, services and hours of operation visit lclibrary.ca.

Introduction to Ancestry Library Edition – Learning for Life

Take the first step of researching your family history by learning about Ancestry Library Edition, an online genealogical database that includes census, vital, church, court and immigration records from all over the world. Register for the Introduction to Ancestry Library Edition program on Friday, February 11 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. to learn how to navigate the website, conduct a records search, save records, and more. We will also touch on local resources to help you along your Ancestry journey, just in time for Family Day. Register at lclibrary.libnet.info/events.  A Zoom link will be emailed to you upon registration. For help setting up Zoom, please call the library for technical support at 519-337-3291.

Job Search Club

Job hunting can be confusing and frustrating, but Lambton County Library is here to help. Meet fellow job hunters and gain valuable advice to aid in your job search with our weekly online Job Search Club starting Tuesday, February 1 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Topics covered will include: writing resumes and cover letters, networking, LinkedIn profiles, and job searching using online engines such as indeed.com. Register at lclibrary.libnet.info/events. A Zoom link will be emailed to you upon registration. For help setting up Zoom, please call the library for technical support at 519-337-3291.

Canada Reads 2022 Longlist Announced

From deeply personal memoirs, engaging short story collections, expansive stories and gothic fiction, this year's longlisted books for Canada Reads inspire readers to reflect on community and who we are in the world we live in. Canada Reads is like a “literary Survivor” where celebrities champion books then debate on public platforms until one single title is chosen as the book all Canadians should read that year. The announced titles for 2022 include:

• The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe
• Driven by Marcello Di Cintio
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
• What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
• Book of Wings by Tawhida Tanya Evanson
• Satellite Love by Genki Ferguson 
• Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
• Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
• Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
• All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac 
• Dominoes at the Crossroads by Kaie Kellough
• Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 
• Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Müller
• From My Mother's Back by Njoki Wane
• We Two Alone by Jack Wang 

The 15 longlisted titles are all available to borrow with a Lambton County Library card. The debate to choose the winner will take place from March 28 – 31 and will be broadcast on CBC Radio One, CBC TV, CBC Gem and CBC Books. Visit lclibrary.ca or use the Iguana Library mobile app to reserve your copy of one or all of the titles today.

OMC Virtual Programs

While the Oil Museum is closed for renovations, did you know you can still enjoy the museum experience from home? 

Visit the Oil Museum of Canada website for a full list of Virtual School Programs that complement school curriculum, as well as a series of educational videos titled ‘Drilling Deeper’.  If you’re a teacher looking for engaging learning opportunities, consider bringing a museum educator into your classroom! With our Live Sessions, we deliver content directly to your classroom using the online platform of your choice! To see a full list of offerings or to book a session, visit the Oil Museum website.

Virtual Talk: Whodunit? The Shaw Gusher Question

Have you heard the story about Shaw and his oil gusher? No, not that Shaw, the other one! Join us for the Virtual Talk: Whodunit? The Shaw Gusher Question on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. In this talk, Lambton Heritage Museum's Curator/Supervisor, Dana Thorne, will share the story behind the confusion of John Shaw and Hugh Nixon Shaw. Which Shaw brought in Canada's first oil gusher in 1862 and how did historians get it wrong for so long? Virtual talks are free and registration is required. Register online now.

LHM Live Sessions

If you're looking for more to enjoy from home, visit the Lambton Heritage Museum website and enjoy activities from Museum @ Home, explore Virtual Education and so much more. You can also follow the Museum on Facebook and YouTube for more museum content.

If you’re a teacher looking for live virtual learning opportunities, try Live Sessions! Session run 45 minutes in length plus 15 minutes for questions. Depending on the program booked, historical objects, videos, and tours are presented virtually to the class. To learn more and book a session, visit the Lambton Heritage Museum website.

Lambton County Archives would like to hear from you!

Lambton County Archives is currently accepting COVID-19 submissions from the public. Please consider sharing your stories with the Archives, and include photos if possible, to help archive this historic moment in time to share with future generations. Make a submission through the form on the Lambton County Archives website.

LCA Virtual Appointments

With COVID limiting researcher access to Lambton County Archives, we are making it easier for you to complete your research with us virtually. Learn more and submit a request for research on the Lambton County Archives website or contact us at archives@county-lambton.on.ca.

How to prepare for Drinking Water Advisories

Periodically, there may be times when your local Medical Officer of Health advises the public to either boil or stopping using piped water.

Would your household be ready for such an event? Take steps now to prepare for a possible water supply interruption.

Create a 72-hour stockpile of drinking water, setting aside four (4) litres of water per person per day, providing for pets too. This amount should be enough for drinking, cooking, washing, and brushing your teeth.

In the event a water advisory is issued, residents will be notified through the media, MyCNN, and possibly by door-to-door contact.

For more on drinking water advisories, visit EmergenciesLambton.ca and LambtonPublicHealth.ca.