COLUMN: Settle into fall with Thorold Public Library

Happy Library Card Sign-Up Month and thank you for choosing a Thorold Public Library brand library card. TPL brand cards come with a satisfaction guarantee and will hold up to rain, snow, sleet, slightly harder rain, dry air, puddles, places where puddles were yesterday, possibly some light sawing with a dull butterknife (not recommended). Virtually indestructible.

If you would like to register for a card (free to anyone in the Niagara Region), you can visit us during regular operating hours (Monday to Thursday 10-8 and Friday/Saturday 10-5). If you’re registering for a library card via our website (yep, that’s a thing you can do), please just register once. If you don’t receive an email within a few business days, give us a call. If you purposefully registered twice for clone reasons, we’ll just need to see proof of the clone first and then we can issue that second card. Also, good choice. If we had a double, we’d just both do library stuff too. So now that you’re set card-wise, here are some other fun updates from our library world.

Services

Yes, we are now fully open to the public (no appointments required), but we still offer contactless curbside pickup by request. To be clear, there’s not any contact going on inside the library either. Not sure what kind of a library you think this is. Please remember to wear your mask and do not visit if you are experiencing any covid related symptoms. In other Stage 3 developments, we now keep our bookdrop closed during operating hours, open during closed hours. The library and the bookdrop may or may not have experienced a falling out.

It has been an incredible journey together and the split was amicable. Both will continue to oversee your reading hobby as a team, even though they no longer keep the same hours. We ask that you respect their privacy during this difficult time. Another exciting reminder is that we now have computer notebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots to borrow with your TPL card. During the first 3 weeks of circulation, this collection racked up 120 hours and 27 minutes of data. Just think. In some alternate universe, like 100 of those hours were actually a cat watching human videos. 

Programs

Friday movie matinees are back. Attendance is by registration only. Yep, that’s right. A movie in a library. It’s the greatest shhhing potential you’ll ever experience in one room. Our next screening will be The Father on October 15 at 2. Masking is required throughout the film and no food or drink allowed. Enjoyed Summer Reading Club?

Then try our Fall Reading Club. It has all the same benefits, just pumpkin spice flavoured. You can also visit our READSquared book tracking portal under the Programming tab on our website. In takeaway options, we now have a Tuesday Halloween pickup pack for children. Available by registration only until the end of October. We have a long colourful history with Halloween crafts. A few years ago we even planned a DIY costume workshop and emailed everyone a request for “torso-sized boxes”. No explanation. And no one ever asked.

Guess they were just like, ‘Nah. Don’t wanna know’. Anyway.

Email [email protected] to register for this one. Adult craft night is also back in person (in addition to our Facebook group virtual version of the program). Our next project is Halloween Recycled Book Wreaths and attendance is by registration only. All safety protocols are in place. Except the touched-my-thing-too-quick-after- glue-gunning and oh-whoops-I-totally-just-did-it-again-thats-the-worst-pain-ever prevention. The science isn’t there yet. In person book club has also returned.

We have lots of virtual options available as well. Last month after reading The Lost Apothecary and Recipe for a Perfect Wife, one of our book club members said, “Why do you give us so many books about women poisoning their husbands?” and we were like, Huh. I better change course to throw them off.

Find the full title selection on our website under September/October Program Guide. And please note the lack of husband poisoning. If you have any questions or comments (preferably nice ones) regarding any of the listed programs and services (or others) don’t hesitate to reach out (from a distance of 6 feet). We can be reached by phone at 905-227-2581 or email at [email protected].