Sunday 28 February 2010

Sunday February 28th, 2010 Rosslyn Village

There’s no place like home. I’m a country girl at heart. I grew up in Rosslyn Village. Back then it felt more like a small village and not so much like a suburb. Growing up in the country was great. Everyone knew each other. The adults socialized and so did the kids. It was a safe place to live. Children could go out and play after dark and you didn’t have to worry. We had all the essentials of a village – a school, a church, a corner store, a baseball diamond, a swimming pool and a hockey rink. We even had our own hockey team, the Rosslyn Dynamiters. We also had industries such as a seed cleaning plant and a brickyard. Here’s my tribute to Rosslyn Village.

Museums

The Paipoonge Museum first opened in March 1953 in the basement of the Slate River School as a result of an idea by Reeve Harold Gammond and Councilor A.C. Hanna. Duke Hunt was the curator. In July of 1970 it moved to a new location at the corner of Rosslyn Road and Highway 130. This year the museum will reopen in a nearby location occupying what was once S.S. # 5 School. It has been renamed in honour of Duke Hunt. The museum includes many interesting objects that belonged to area pioneers. It includes farm machinery and many household artifacts such as a table and a spinning wheel that came from my grandparent’s farm in Stanley. There are also letters and photographs. The museum is open from May through August.

Source: LF NWO Museums

Schools

I’m always amused when people ask what school I went to. It was called S.S. # 5 and was later renamed Rosslyn Village School. The first S.S. # 5 was located on Highway 130 where Pinegrove United Church currently stands. My grade one teacher was Muriel Hunt, who was the wife of the previously mentioned Duke Hunt. I still recall her clean soapy smell.

One of the things I remember was when the Northwestern Regional Library’s bookmobile would visit the school. Students were allowed to hop on the bookmobile and choose their reading material. I can still picture it. Who knew I would spend my life working in a library.

In 2005 the school celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with an open house. It was interesting to visit the old classrooms. I hoped that I would stop dreaming that I was back in school, but that didn’t work. The school closed that June.

Source: Five Miles And All Uphill: Early Schools In The Lakehead And Area, researched by Art Gunnell.

Industries

Superior Brick & Tile

When I was growing up, the brickyard was a source of employment for many Rosslyn residents. The plant which opened in 1912 featured 6 kilns, each of which had a capacity of 150,000 bricks. The resulting red bricks were shipped across Canada. I can recall a class tour to the brickyard. What impressed me the most was the extreme heat in the plant (I don’t think Health and Safety was a big issue when I was growing up) and the time clock in the office. I’m sure the red bricks from the brickyard can still be found on area homes.

Source: LF NWO Industries – Brick & Tile – Superior Brick & Tile

Churches

December 25, 1956 marked the first service held in St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Rosslyn Village. At an estimated value of $24,000 the church was built mainly by volunteers. It replaced the first Anglican Church which burned down in 1913. The exterior finishing of this little red brick church was donated by the brickyard. The property had been donated, as were the services of the architect, Harold Tett. The pulpit, altar and lectern were the work of area resident Ken Vibert. In 2006 an expansion was added to the church, which is still at the heart of Rosslyn Village.

Source: LHF Churches – Anglican – St. Mark’s

If you’re ever looking for information on Rosslyn or other rural communities, check out the local history collection in the Reference Department at the Brodie Resource Library. I hope you have a great National Pig Day tomorrow.

Karen Craib is a Library Technician

Sunday 21 February 2010

Sunday February 21, 2010 Take it to Heart

Take it to heart. From the bottom of my heart. Your heart’s in the right place. Clearly many idioms speak of the heart. Then there is All Heart’s Day, just past, and the month of February designated as Heart Health Month. Not to be outdone, the Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) has your best interest at heart with an abundance of Books, CD’s, DVD’s, MP3’s and Graphic Novels for both the young and the young at heart.

Hearts and Crafts by Sheri Brownrigg is an activity book organized into broad themes. The charming crafts include a wide variety of fun projects such as conversation heart necklaces, sand heart candles and lavender wands. All highly enjoyable due to the straightforward directions and quick, yet attractive, results.

Need a change of pace in your reading? Well take heart, TBPL continually orders new titles for you. Example. The new book entitled Death Of A Valentine by M.C. Beaton. Part of the Hamish Macbeth Series. Amazing news hits the Scottish countryside when the most famous of highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, is about to get married. Available to be placed on hold, this title comes in hardcover and also MP3 CD Book.

How about a romantic movie for you to enjoy to your heart’s content? There are many new releases available at the library, and you could even go back and catch up on some that you have yet to see. Prefer to read the book first, and then compare it to the movie? Drop in and get yourself a copy of Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John, a quick and fun read where the characters are likable and the plot predictable, revolving around the concept of love and its fragility. Perhaps you would like to first read The Last Song, set to come out on March 25 starring Miley Cyrus and Liam Helmsworth, or The Lucky One, now in production. Both are available in hard cover, large print, MP3 CD and WMA (downloadable onto your IPod or MP3 player).

Non-fiction books can be a refreshing change and often provide great reads. Deanna McDaniel’s Gentle Reads: Great Books To Warm Hearts And Lift Spirits is a book which recommends titles for students from Grade 5 to 9. The book was prompted by a New York Times Book Review article entitled A Good Book Should Make You Cry. McDaniel handily counters this notion with five hundred recommended titles that speak of adolescent issues while meeting important criteria such as being inspiring, heartwarming, and uplifting.

Have you heard about a book entitled Project Everlasting: Two Bachelors Discover The Secrets Of America’s Greatest Marriages? Here is a beguiling book where two bachelors, Mathew Boggs and Jason Miller, best friends since childhood, get together to launch this project. They embark upon an adventure across the United States to talk to the experts - couples who have been successfully married for over forty years – in an attempt to uncover secrets they can share with the world. The book’s inspiration is based primarily upon the vision of Mathew’s grandparents, blissfully married over sixty years, and still capable of making each other’s heart skip a beat.

How about a little romantic music? For example Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood including tunes such as the title track, Don’t Forget to Remember Me and Inside Your Heaven. Or maybe a little classical music featuring Luciano Pavarotti and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maurizio Benini; Je T'ai Donne Mon Coeur: My Heart's Delight, featuring works by Puccini, Gershwin and Verdi.

More and more, these days, we are taking to heart the importance of maintaining a happy, healthy lifestyle. Books like Healthy Eating for your Heart by Paul Gayler and Jacqui Lynas with photography by Peter Cassidy, highlight the team effort of a chef and a dietitian who create one hundred hale and hearty yet delectable recipes. In harmony with what Aristotle once judiciously said: "Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

Caron E. Naysmith, Supply Staff

Sunday 14 February 2010

Sunday February 14th, 2010 The Night Sky

There’s nothing like standing outdoors on a quiet evening and just looking at the stars. It reminds you of how big the universe really is and makes you feel very small. I also like to lie in bed and look at the sky. It inspired me to write this column.

Stars

Did you see the meteor showers last August? They were pretty spectacular. I still think of them as falling stars, but they are actually meteoroids. The trail of light they produce is a meteor. After seeing 3 or 4 of them I thought – that’s it? Then I reminded myself of how rarely I have seen even one of them.

All The Stars In The Sky: Native Stories From The Heavens by C.J. Taylor.

This children’s book is described as a fascinating collection of stories inspired by the night sky. It features legends from the Ojibwa, Salish and Cherokee among others. There is an Inuit story about the Moon and his sister, the Sun. While out hunting one evening Shaman is taken by dogsled to the skies and the home of the Moon. Once there he sees family and friends he has lost and realizes he is in the Land of the Dead. Later the sun offers him seal meat and the opportunity to never be cold or hungry again. He must choose between staying there or returning to his earthly family.

Northern Lights

I don’t see the Northern Lights as often as I used to. Prior to his death, my father or I would often phone each other and say – go outside to see the northern lights. There is something magical to behold in watching the colours shifting and dancing in the sky.

Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida.

Reviewers use a range of words to describe this novel from haunted and bleak to searing and beautiful. When she was 14 Clarissa Iverton’s mother left her and her developmentally disabled brother with their father, and disappeared. Now 14 years later her father dies suddenly. While searching through family papers on the day of his funeral, she stumbles across her birth certificate and discovers another man’s name in place of her father’s. With this discovery she embarks on a search for her natural father that takes her above the Arctic Circle to Lapland. It’s a land of reindeer, ice hotels and of course, the northern lights. Here Clarissa finds out the truth about her mother’s past and must decide where she’ll spend her future.

Solar Eclipses

If you happen to be visiting Easter Island on July 11, 2010 you’ll be there for a total solar eclipse. According to the NASA website, this eclipse won’t be visible from North America. You’ll have to wait until August 21, 2017 if you want to view the eclipse from Canada. As always, never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection.

Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass

A total solar eclipse is a life changing event for three teenagers. Their lives converge at the Moon Shadow Campground, which is owned by the parents of 13 year old Ally. Bree, an aspiring model, is dragged to the site by her parents, who are planning to take over the management of the campground. Without a mall in site, Bree isn’t too happy about a life in the wilderness. Introverted teen, Jack, is brought to the campground by a teacher. Set against the excitement of the upcoming solar eclipse, the teenagers bond and face the upcoming changes in their lives. We don’t carry this book, but you can borrow it through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Hopefully that’s enough to help get you started in your journey to the night sky. I hope everyone has a very Happy Valentine’s Day. It might be the perfect time to go outdoors with your sweetie and just gaze at the stars.

Karen Craib is a Library Technician

Sunday 7 February 2010

Sunday February 7th, 2010 Reference Questions

We receive all kinds of requests for information in the reference department. Everything from population statistics, telephone numbers, and current car values to the more complex questions involving local history. During our annual survey week in November 2009, the library system fielded 1878 questions, 596 of which required more in-depth research. Email is also a popular method of query. Last year we received 194 queries through our just ask us email web form on our website. Here is a recent sample of some of the questions we’ve received.

What is the lowest recorded temperature in the world?

The lowest recorded temperature in the world was -89.4 degrees Celsius, which occurred on July 21, 1983 at the Vostok Research Station in Antarctica. Source: Time Almanac 2009.

The lowest recorded temperature in Canada happened on February 3, 1947 in Snag, Yukon at
-62.8 Celsius. The Canadian Encyclopedia online at: www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com

How many trees does it take to make 500 sheets of paper?

This was a tough question. We could not find an answer in any print resources in the library and so turned to the internet. According to the website for Conservatree, a ream of photocopy paper, or 500 sheets, uses approximately 6 percent of a tree. Of course there are many variables involved, such as the size of the tree and the quality of the paper, making an accurate answer impossible. Their calculations are based on a 40 foot tree of between 6 to 8 inches in diameter. For the complete calculations and other paper facts visit the website at: http://www.conservatree.com/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtml


How do I find a list of the DVD’s in the library?

Quite a few people have asked this question. It is possible to bring up a list of just the DVD’s in our catalogue however the list is quite large with approximately 5000 entries. If you don’t mind browsing here’s how you do it: from our website click on find books tab, then library catalogue. The default search is title, using the drop down menu change this to keyword and type into the search box DVD. The next default option is view entire collection; using the dropdown menu, change this to DVD/VHS, then click search. You can see the list is very large. It is possible to narrow down this list. Starting a new search, click on the advanced search option. In the first ‘any field’ search box type DVD. From the options below change the default of view entire collection to DVD/VHS. In the locations field you can make selections by branch and adult or children’s items. You can also search by year range if you are looking for newer titles.


Is there a minimum height requirement for a basement ceiling?

According to the Ontario Building Code Compendium 2006, a basement ceiling must be 6 feet 11 inches over at least 75 percent of the basement area except under beams and ducts where the clearance is permitted to be reduced to 6 feet 5 inches. The two volume set can be viewed at the Brodie or Waverley Reference departments.


Where can I find a court form for a divorce application?

A divorce application form 8A can be found in the Ontario Annual Practice 2010 book of forms available in the Brodie Reference department. The family law forms, as well as the rules of civil procedure and small claims court forms can all be found in this publication.


I want to add tinted accessories to the taillights of my vehicle. Is there a standard that I need to follow?

Lighting on a vehicle cannot be coated, covered or modified so that the glass area of the lens is reduced and/or the intensity is diminished, according to the book Vehicle Modifications And The Law, available at both the Waverley and Brodie reference departments. By diminished, the Highway Traffic Act section 62(7) defines this as a modification which would reduce the effective illumination to less than 150 meters.


If you have a question that needs answering don’t hesitate to call the library. Staff would be more than willing to assist you.


Michelle Paziuk, Library Technician