Nelson Star Friday, January 3, 2014
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Community
Check This Out – Anne DeGrace
Thar she blows! Changes in the wind Contributing to the common cultural good
British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan first used the term “wind of change” in his speech to the South African parliament in 1960 prior to decolonization. He said: “The wind of change is blowing through this continent.” He was discussing African decolonization specifically, but he could easily have been referring to the recent shift in British policy with regard to apartheid, in the interest of freedom for all people. It was a soft beginning, but a beginning nonetheless. Since then the wind (or winds) of
change have become embedded in our popular lexicon, spawning songs and albums of that title by everyone from the Bee Gees to Eric Bourdon and the Animals, novels by authors such as Mercedes Lackey and Isaac Asimov, and a film or two. The coming of a new year is all about winds of change, reviewing those that have passed and anticipating those blustery moments to come. Newspapers everywhere — including this one — take a look back at the year in review. It’s no different in the world of your library, where all things literary
merit special note. Alice Munro was the first Canadian author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, a hurricane-sized triumph for Munro, Canada, and the short story. Winds of change include, naturally, the passing of notable people. In the reading world, we’ve lost fiction giants Tom Clancy and Elmore Leonard, while the world said goodbye to Irish poet and Nobel prizewinner Seamus Heaney. Of course, the beauty of writing is that their words live on, at least those who manage to avoid the remainder bin, as these surely will. Sylvia Browne, author of books on All Things Psychic, died just last month, leaving some of us to wonder: how on earth will we know what winds — gentle or blustery — are coming down the pike? As for the library, I can offer a sneak peek (oh, prescience!) into some things coming down our pike. To recap, this year we’ve had fun moving things from one side of the library to the other (the French section, a little like the French themselves, has been particularly migratory) while we created new seating
and began getting ready for two enclosed quiet study areas, on the wishlist for 2014. We added $80,000 in new materials and databases for kids, teens, and adults to our collection, and you responded by giving us among the highest per capita circulation stats in BC.
folks outside of our service area (residents of Area E, for example, opted out of tax-based library service in 2010). Beginning January 2, a family living in the same household can get a card for every family member for one fee of $90 (down from $120), and for folks living alone, a new $45 non-transferable fiveitem card is available. There’s a proverb that says “when the winds of change blow, some people build walls; others build windmills.” Libraries aim to be windmills by embracing change, and by providing the tools by which metaphorical windmills are built. Kootenay Lifestyle Specialists Blow on, fair wind. Finally, our winds of change must surely Kevin Layla note the passing of 250-354-2958 250.354.3369 anti-apartheid activkarcuri@telus.net laylap@telus.net liveinthekootenays.com We never stop moving® ist Nelson Mandela, who wasn’t a mere observer of those And we continued offering one- winds — as most of us are — but on-one de-fuddlement sessions on actually was the change. As we can your various devices (this will con- all hope to be, in some small way, in tinue until the end of March). 2014. Because every wind of change Further de-fuddling is in the must surely start with a breeze. works with our Technology Petting Zoo coming next year, with — Anne DeGrace is the Adult iPads, Kobo Arcs, Nexus and more Services Coordinator at the (because the winds of change are Nelson Public Library. friendly, and our pets don’t bite). Check This Out runs every other It’s a warm wind blowing that will week. For more information go to see changes to subscription fees for www.nelsonlibrary.ca.
ARCURI PRECIOUS
Tree of Life fundraiser benefits Kootenay Kids Society
More than $3,000 raised in Nelson store With the combined efforts of Shoppers Drug Mart, its employees and customers, Nelson and the West Kootenay Region will now have improved access to services and programming supporting the needs of children, their parents and caregivers. The store’s 2013 Tree of Life fundraising campaign has harvested more than $3,178 for The Kootenay Kids Society. With over 1,240 Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix stores across Canada participating in the four-week campaign, the 12th annual Tree of Life campaign provides support to over 480 Canadian women’s health charities. National in scope yet locally based, the Tree of Life campaign offers patients, customers and employees the opportunity to donate directly to charitable organizations to ensure that resources and programming are available to meet the needs of Canadian women. In Nelson, the proceeds harvested by local Shoppers Drug Mart customers and employees at the Chahko Mika Mall store will benefit The Kootenay Kids Society. “Kootenay Kids is very grateful to Shoppers Drug Mart for undertaking this fundraiser,” said
Valerie Warmington, Kootenay Kids executive director. “And we extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the community who so generously contributed to its success.” The Society will use the money for its Pregnancy Outreach Program offering a wide variety of health-related supports to pregnant and early post-partum women. “Demand for these services has risen in recent years and the money raised by Shoppers Drug Mart will go a long way toward helping Kootenay Kids meet this need in our community,” said Warmington. “The success of the 2013 Tree of Life campaign can be attributed to the support and commitment of our loyal customers and staff,” said Keith Kerekes. “Shoppers Drug Mart has partnered with women’s health organizations at national, regional and local levels, in order to provide direct support, ensuring that essential funding, resources and education are available to meet the needs of Canadian women. We are pleased to present this year’s Tree of Life campaign proceeds to The Kootenay Keith Kerekes, an associate with Shoppers Drug Mart, presents a cheque to Valerie Warmington Submitted photo of the Kootenay Kids Society. Kids Society.”