Celebrating Pride Month

Celebrating Pride Month

by | May 31, 2024 | Books, Children & Families, Collection Materials, LGBTQ2S+

The Huron County Library is celebrating Pride Month by sharing valuable resources, participating in community events, and hosting activities in our branches.

Here is a round-up of what’s happening throughout June:

Huron County Pride Outreach: The Huron County Library is popping up at this year’s Huron County Pride Festival! Find us on the Square in downtown Goderich on Saturday, June 8, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and take in the amazing activities happening throughout the day!

Pride Hikes: Celebrate diverse voices, get active on Huron County’s trails, win Pride-themed prizes and more! Participate in the Celebrating Diverse Voices Scavenger Hunt on the Bayfield Heritage Trail from June 9-30. Or, explore any one of Huron’s beautiful hiking trails through June. Hikers participating in either option can earn an entry to win a Pride-themed prize pack! Learn how to participate here.

LGBTQ2S+ Resources for young people and their families: Library staff have put together a valuable resource guide to support young people and their families. The guide features links to online resources, books from our collection, local supports, and more.

Book Raffle: The Library is raffling off 10 LGBTQ2S+ books for a variety of ages (picture books, junior fiction, young adult, adult fiction, and adult non-fiction). Find ballots throughout the month of June at all 12 branches or visit us at the Huron Pride Festival.

Pride Panel Discussion: Join us on Thursday, June 20 from 6:30-8 p.m., for a virtual discussion to learn about what Drag is and why it has been targeted as a perceived threat. Our panelists are Curtis Campbell, author of Dragging Mason County, a Young Adult novel about a drag show at a small town high school; and Miss Lita, who is a drag performer who has performed at several drag story time library programs that have attracted protestors. Goderich Branch is also hosting a watch party if you would like to bring your friends together to join the conversation! Registration required. 

LGBTQ2S+ Youth Social Connections Craft Night: To celebrate pride, the LGBTQ2S+ youth social connections crew are inviting everyone to their craft night on Monday, June 24, 5-8 p.m. at the Goderich Branch. LGBTQ2S+ Youth Social Connections is a community-led program for youth ages 16-25 held the last Monday of each month at the Goderich Branch. This is a great opportunity to have fun with peers, to meet new friends and to engage in discussions around topics that could include sexuality, identity, homophobia, and personal experiences. Registration required.

Drop-in Button Making @ Exeter Branch: Celebrate Pride Month by joining us at the Exeter Branch every Friday in June for button making! This is a drop-in program and available during regular branch hours, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. No registration is necessary.

Rainbow Storytime @ Exeter Branch: Drop into the Exeter Branch Friday, June 7, 2-3 p.m., for Rainbow Storytime featuring LGBTQ2S+ themed stories and songs! No registration required.

Friendship Bracelets @ Exeter Branch: Join us Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Exeter Branch  to make a rainbow, pronoun, or flag-themed friendship bracelet! No registration required.

Mental Health Awareness Month Reading Recommendations

Mental Health Awareness Month Reading Recommendations

by | May 15, 2024 | Collection Materials, Readers' Advisory

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and staff have compiled a great list of recent reads that highlight ways to check in on your mental health or to read about other people who are also struggling. Above all remember it’s okay to not be okay and there’s no shame in asking for help!

A staff-created list with even more of our favorites can be found on our online catalogue. And for those interested, there is also an excellent curated Family Guide to Mental Health resources that can be accessed also be accessed through our online catalogue.

Book cover image of Everyone But Myself

Memoir: Everyone But Myself by Julie Chavez

Like so many mothers, Julie Chavez ran herself ragged trying to meet the needs of everyone else, until an unexpected panic attack forced her to find a new way. Funny, deeply honest, and inspiring for readers feeling overwhelmed in their own lives, this memoir reads like a best friend sharing how she pulled herself back to solid ground while embracing chaos along the way.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of Your Pocket Therapist

Non-Fiction: Your Pocket Therapist: Break Free from Old Patterns and Transform Your Life by Annie Zimmerman

From psychotherapist and TikTok personality Dr. Annie Zimmerman comes a toolkit to transform yourself and your relationships, with advice on how to heal past trauma, build sustainable connections, and take ownership of your mental health.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of The Anxious Generation

Non-Fiction: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

In this book social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time in the 2010s. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults and presents a plan for a freer, healthier childhood.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of At First Spite

Fiction: At First Spite by Olivia Dade

On the surface this is just another enemies to lovers small town romance from best-selling author Olivia Dade but in actuality there is a very relatable and exceptional mental health representation woven into the story. Our main character, Athena gets dumped at the alter and finds herself jobless at the same time, falling into a deep depression that only the man next door notices. With his help, she is able to embrace therapy and medication to manage her depression, finding an unexpected love along the way.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of Where to Start

YA Non-fiction: Where to Start: A Survivial Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges compiled by Mental Health America

A resource specifically written for teens struggling emotionally and looking for help, from the nation’s leading community-based non-profit that addresses the needs of those living with mental illness.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of Absolutely Normal

YA Short Stories: Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories that Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

This collection of 16 short stories, while fictional, were all carefully chosen based on the contributing authors’ own experiences related to mental health challenges either as a lived experience or similar experience that is noted in the introduction by the editors. The stories cover a range of mental health conditions from OCD and PTSD to anxiety and the rarely discussed premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Each author also wrote a note that appears after their story to share their personal connection – a personal touch that gives each story extra weight and strengthens the collection as a whole.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of Stay with my heart

YA Fiction: Stay With My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan

A South Asian American teen girl grapples with anxiety and depression following her high school graduation and mother’s recent death. Struggling in the face of her father’s absenteeism and neglect, Liana tries to please him by focusing on her new internship at his Music Recording company only to find herself getting tangled up with an aspiring band and its friendly, yet complex members.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of Buzzing

Middle Grade Graphic Novel: Buzzing by Samuel Sattin; Illustrated by Rye Hickman

An excellent #ownvoices middle grade graphic novel about Isaac, a young neurodivergent boy struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and negative self thoughts. When the strict therapy his mother insists on doesn’t seem to be working, Isaac finds solace in a group of friends who invite him to join their after-school role-playing game Not long after the thoughts in his head start to feel a little less loud and the world feels a little brighter. This is a must-read with multi-dimensional therapy representation and beautiful illustrations.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image of Louder Than Hunger

Middle Grade Novel-In-Verse: Louder than Hunger by John Schu

Revered teacher, librarian, and story ambassador, John Schu explores anorexia—and self-expression as an act of survival—in a wrenching and transformative novel-in-verse story. This fictionalized account of the author’s experiences and emotions living in residential treatment facilities as a young teen with an eating disorder, Louder than Hunger is a triumph of raw honesty. With a deeply personal afterword for context, this book is a powerful model for muffling the destructive voices inside, managing and articulating pain, and embracing self-acceptance, support, and love.

Place a hold online…

 

Book cover image Deep Water

Middle Grade Novel-In-Verse: Deep Water by Jamie Sumner

Previously highlighted in our Middle Grade Fiction recommendation guide, this latest novel-in-verse story from author Jamie Sumner is a great look at a young girl struggling to cope with an absentee parent trying to deal with their own depression.

Place a hold online…

Book cover image of Marley's Pride

Picture Book: Marley’s Pride by Joëlle Retener; illustrated by DeAnn Wiley

Marley is a little nonbinary kid with big anxieties. Crowds? Pass. Loud noises? No, thanks. When their Zaza is up for an award at Pride, they want to go to the parade for the first time with their beloved grandparent. But can Marley overcome their fears? Highlighting the joyful experiences of a queer Black family finding community at Pride, this story features back matter about the history of Pride, a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms, and a list of resources. 

Place a hold online…

Microscopes coming to the Object Library thanks to the efforts of a local youth

Microscopes coming to the Object Library thanks to the efforts of a local youth

by | Mar 5, 2024 | Collection Materials, News, Object Library

The Huron County Library’s Object Library is growing, adding not one, not two, but THREE different microscopes to the collection in the spring of 2024 thanks to the efforts one young Huron County man.

As a homeschooled high school student, Sam Robinson noticed a gap that many other homeschoolers faced when compared to their traditionally school peers. While most schools are well stocked with microscopes, many homeschool families do not have access to these learning tools. Additionally, the exorbitant cost of school-quality microscopes also make them fairly unattainable for the average family, with many microscopes costing over $500 each. To help, Sam applied for a United Way Perth-Huron Youth in Action Grant, which he was fortunate enough to receive!

Three microscopes will be added to the Huron County Library collection later this spring, along with a collection of 100 specimen slides, making them accessible to all library patrons. The microscopes include:

  • Digital Desktop Microscope: This microscope is perfect introductory microscope for young people before they segue into the larger Student Full-Sized Microscope. It is compact in size, lightweight, and doesn’t take up a lot of room and has the ability to magnify things up to 4x.
  • Student Full-Sized Microscope: This is the microscope that most people think of when they think of a microscope. While it may seem intimidating to use at first, we have some handy instructions for you to utilize as you explore the microscopic world around you. Best of all, it can magnify things up to 40x.
  • A Portable Pocket Microscope: This easy-to-use microscope is perfect for your next outdoor adventure (perhaps while using one of our Ontario Parks Passes?). Easily magnify items all around you, especially those that are too difficult for you to move, like your couch, your carpet, or the bark of the tree in your backyard. This has the ability to magnify things up to 5x.

The Huron County Library wishes to extend a huge thanks to both Sam and United Way Perth-Huron for making the addition of these microscopes possible. While you wait for the microscopes to be added to our collection, you can join Sam and his mother, Heather, for some upcoming Microscope 101 sessions at a number of Huron County Library branches! The program invites young participants to discover the magic of the unseen with the Microscopes 101 program. Designed for curious minds, this interactive adventure introduces kids to the wonders of microscopy through easy-to-follow lessons and exciting activities, making science fun and accessible for budding young scientists.

Registration is open for the following programs:   

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

by | Oct 4, 2023 | Children & Families, Collection Materials, Reading

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and the Huron County Library is pleased to announce the addition of decodable books to its accessible collections.

Dyslexia is a hereditary disability that makes it difficult to read, write or spell. Dyslexia is not caused by bad parenting, a lack of access to reading materials, or lack of intelligence. According to the International Dyslexia Association, roughly 15-20 per cent of the population has a language-based learning disability, with Dyslexia being the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties.

On top of the symptoms, many people experiencing Dyslexia feel anxiety around reading and may avoid situations where they may be required to read. The Huron County Library believes that reading is for everyone and aims to make it more accessible with the addition of these materials to our collection. We thank the International Dyslexia Association Ontario for supporting the purchase of these books.

What are decodable books? They are books that are specifically designed to be easier for people with Dyslexia to read. Some features that appear in decodable books include dyslexia-friendly font, hi-lo content (which means books discussing higher level concepts while remaining at a lower reading difficulty), justified text, off white paper, and heavier weight paper.

To learn more about these materials, speak with your local branch staff or start exploring the full collection through our online catalogue.

The Huron County Library is also a member library of the Centre for Equitable Library Access which also offers access to a collection of over 1 million books, magazines, newspapers in a choice of accessible formats for people with a print disability.