Add a Huron County Library card to your back-to-school list

Add a Huron County Library card to your back-to-school list

by | Aug 23, 2024 | Children & Families, Library Card, Object Library, Online Resources

Get ready to head back to school by registering for a Huron County Library card! Access a wide variety of FREE resources to support learning for ALL ages!

The Huron County Library offers a variety of Online Resources that provide card holders 24/7 access from home. Find tools to support literacy, creativity and research supports, including:

  • PebbleGo is packed with informational articles, ready-made activities, and literacy supports for K-3 students of all abilities. To access from home, a username and password is required. Contact your local library branch for this information.
  • Tumblebooks offers resources for children in K-6, including animated talking picture books, chapter books, videos, non-fiction books, playlists, graphics novels.
  • cloudLibrary provides access to over 120,000 eBooks and Audiobooks for download or streaming.
  • Mango Languages is a powerful learning platform that delivers fast and effective language learning.
  • Canadian Reference Centre can support research projects through its database that includes leading Canadian and international periodicals, reference books, biographies, and images.
  • Never stop learning through kanopy’s The Great Courses which offers enriching courses by the world’s greatest professors and experts on history, science, religion, health, travel, and more.
  • The Huron County Library supports life-long learning through Contact North, which brings distant learning options to local residents, and Gale Courses, which offers six-week personal and professional courses led by expert instructors.

The Huron County Library’s Object Library offers a wide variety of items to support hands-on learning, including:

Of course, the library also offers a great collection of books on an endless variety of topics for all ages and interests! And if you’re looking for in-person opportunities, each of our 12 branches offers programs and events for all ages to come together to learn something new while having lots of fun!

Smart Card transit passes now available to checkout with a Huron County Library card

Smart Card transit passes now available to checkout with a Huron County Library card

by | Mar 12, 2024 | News, Object Library

Set yourself FREE with Huron Shores Area Transit by checking out a Smart Card Library pass with a Huron County Library card!

The Library is very pleased to partner with Huron Shores Area Transit (HSAT) to make five Smart Card Library Passes available through the Object Library, giving patrons unlimited free rides during a one-week loan period.

According to a media release issued from HSAT, the new Smart Card Library program is designed to encourage residents who have not yet tried local public transit to experience convenient and affordable travel options and access various destinations and venues without worrying about transportation or parking costs. The program is planned to be in place for the full year and may be extended into 2025.

Passes can be borrowed from branches in communities with HSAT transit stops: Bayfield, Exeter, Goderich, Hensall, and Zurich. Of course, holds can be placed online and picked up from any Huron County Library branch. The pass is non-renewable, enabling as many cardholders as possible to borrow the pass and try out local public transit. 

“We are proud to partner with local libraries in offering Smart Card Library Passes,” said Susan Mills, Transit Coordinator from Huron Shores Area Transit. “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to provide accessible transportation solutions and enhance community connectivity. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative will have on residents.”

HSAT’s affordable, inter-community public transit links Lambton Shores, South Huron, North Middlesex, Bluewater and Kettle & Stony Point First Nation with each other and Sarnia, London, Goderich and Strathroy. The fully accessible service provides an important transit service for seniors, students, workers and youth for employment, education, health and wellness, and leisure.

For more information about routes, schedules, fares and Smart Cards, visit HuronShoresAreaTransit.ca. To speak with a live operator about times and schedules, call 1-888-465-0783 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.

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: