Pandemic innovation
}} Kawartha Conservation and our library system have responded by making themselves more relevant than ever
RODERICK BENNS Publisher
Lyndsay Bowen, library specialist, outreach and community engagement, hopes to introduce local history storywalks for adults by summer. Photo: Sienna Frost.
When the Kawartha Lakes Public Library’s virtual book club began, most participants didn’t know each other, given they were from all across the city. Getting to know each other began with the sharing of book suggestions. Soon club members were asking to exchange emails so they could chat outside of book club time. Then it turned into socially-distanced porch drop-offs of books, parking lot visits to exchange books, and even buddy reading — reading the same book at the same time to talk about it. In no time, Lyndsay Bowen, says, she realized it was “a full-blown community” that had been created. One person was in tears the first time the book club met on Zoom, says Bowen, as they had been missing social interactions. “To think that this all started with a simple, 45-minute Zoom program,” she said. It’s the challenge shared by dozens of local businesses and non-profit organizations: how to balance the fact that people are largely being told to stay home to help stop the spread of COVID-19 against the reality that
most people are desperate to find things to do after 15 months of relative isolation. Amidst the upheaval of the pandemic, Bowen’s book club is but one of many success stories for the library. From book bundles and cognitive kits to the movie-streaming Kanopy app and outdoor storywalks, the library has managed to not only stay relevant but actually increase the number of programs it offers. For instance, with people staying home to cook more, the library introduced the highly popular Spice Club for its adult clientele. “We thought that perhaps 20 or so people would join if we were lucky, but we currently have over 65 participants. People are visiting restaurants less, but with more time spent cooking at home, those go-to recipes and meals have gone sort of stale for many,” Bowen says. She adds that the Spice Club is a great way to learn how to incorporate new spices into families’ kitchens, and access new recipes, too. “Of course, the social component is a selling feature as well, even if it is just making virtual connections for now.
28
www.lindsayadvocate.ca
