News from Ruth E. Dickinson: your local library branch
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🌈 Celebrate Pride with Great Programming at OPL! 🌈
It’s June, and along with the return of the warmth and sun, it is also International Pride Month. Pride celebrations provide opportunities for our community to come together, share experiences, and build connections. Throughout the month of June, we have curated a diverse range of activities that cater to all ages, embracing the spirit of love, diversity, and equality. Join us as we come together to honor the LGBTQ+ community, promote understanding, and have a fantastic time!
🎦 Lights, Camera, Pride! Get ready to experience a multitude of personal stories in our mini documentary film festival! We have partnered with the National Film Board to showcase a diverse selection of 2SLGBTQIA+ films that explore various journeys through pain, triumphs, and the exploration of identity. Each feature-length film will be preceded by a few short films with related themes and topics.
Join us virtually on Thursdays in June (from June 8 to 29) at 5:30 pm as we celebrate the art of film, elevate LGBTQ+ voices, and embrace the power of representation.💬 Join us virtually on Monday, June 26 at 6:00 pm on Zoom for an unforgettable evening of spoken word as Two-Spirit poet Tawahum Bige invites us to embrace the multiplicity of our identities, challenge the status quo, and reimagine a world where the intersection of queer and indigenous experiences takes center stage.
🏳️🌈 Drag Royalty Family Storytime at the NAC: Calling all young queens and kings, princes, and princesses! Our enchanting Drag Royalty Story Time in partnership with the National Arts Centre is back by popular demand. On June 28, join us at 10 am for a fabulous morning filled with dance, music, and the magic of stories. Our special guest storytellers will transport children into a world of imagination while promoting acceptance, self-expression, and inclusivity.
🆕 Introducing: Book Club Kits! 🆕
OPL Book Club Kits will make choosing your book club’s next read easier than ever! Each kit contains 10 copies of the same book and a laminated book club guide with additional resources, all packed in a sturdy denim bag. Kits can be checked out for up to six weeks, with no renewals.
They can be reserved up to 12 months in advance using the Kitkeeper reservation tool. How does it work? One book club member will need to reserve and sign out the kit with their library card. This cardholder is responsible for the contents of the kit, which need to be returned in full to library staff during open hours and cannot be returned in book drops.
🎬 Friday Flicks: Beans 🎬
Join us for a screening of Beans (2021) this Friday, June 16 at 4:00 pm in honour of National Indigenous History Month. Recommended for ages 14+.
📚 Ruth E. Dickinson Recommends (for Kids!) 📚
The Nguyen Kids by Linda Trinh
For ages 6 to 9
Three siblings discover their “secret” powers in the gifts left to them by their late grandma. Identity, racism, friendship, and stereotypes are themes presented in this charming new illustrated series (in an age-appropriate way) by Canadian author Linda Trinh. The importance of family and culture are featured in these books that can be enjoyed as a read-aloud or as a first step into reading early chapter books.
⛱ Coming Soon: Teen Staycation ⛱
Summer is here, and OPL is putting on a Teen Staycation program that will make even the haziest and laziest days of summer something to enjoy and remember. For seven weeks this summer starting July 3, teens ages 13 to 18 can participate in a variety of activities, some in-person, others live online. OPL invites teens to take part in Staycation programs anytime this summer, whether they are having a true staycation at home, going out of town, or looking for something fun to do between their shifts at work. Registration opens on Monday June 19 at 10 am!
Introduction to Arduino: Thursday, August 17 at 2:00 pm at the Ruth E Dickinson Branch - Join uOttawa Maker Mobile for this interactive workshop! You will get a chance to learn about microcontrollers by programming a virtual Arduino board and controlling its various inputs and outputs (lights). For Teens ages 13-18.
🎨 Get Crafty with Creativebug! 🎨
Creativebug offers thousands of award-winning arts & crafts free video classes and workshops. They are all taught by recognized design experts and artists and are completely ad-free. Learn how to paint, knit, sew, and much more this summer! Happy crafting!
🌞 TD Summer Reading Club 🌞
Families can now visit their local OPL branch to pick up their child’s summer reading kit and to register for any number of in-person and virtual programs. Kids can take part anywhere — at their local Ottawa Public Library branch as well as at home, online, or wherever summer takes them. There's something for everyone, and even books for children with reading disabilities (not to mention the accessible material available for download on the TD Summer Reading Club website; click here to find out more about the Club).
With free programs and activities ranging from science to music, dancing to introductory lessons on coding, StoryWalks to exploring the Diefenbunker, and even visits with animals such as The Zoo Crew and some very talkative parrots, OPL is sure to deliver something to ignite every child’s interest and curiosity! To see all the programs happening at the Ruth E. Dickinson branch this summer, please click here.