Stratford Public Library honours Ontario Public Libraries Week with chances to interact with its space

The Stratford Public Library is celebrating Ontario Public Libraries Week, which started Oct. 19, with interactive activities for patrons until Oct. 25.

The library’s board members offered free coffee on the weekdays. Any library activity from renewing a library card, to checking out a book, to signing up for a library card, will give patrons a chance to enter in a draw for prizes. There’s a scavenger hunt and social media activities.

The presentation “A House Built Up by Books: Stratford’s John Davis Barnett and his Extraordinary Library” by Stratford Perth Archives’ Betty Jo Belton took place on Oct. 22 and a Crafting with Books session takes place on Oct. 24, both events after press time.

"The library is all about community and building communities, so interacting with the library, with its space is a very important component of what the library offers the community and it's just a fun way to learn about the library in a new way,” said library CEO Krista Robinson.

One of the prizes in the draw includes the library tea blend made by local tea shop Distinctly Tea, which can also be purchased at the shop on 18 York St.

"It's a really nice blend that's designed to be nicely enjoyed when you are reading a book,” Robinson said.

Dan Needles, author of this year’s Perth County Reads Book Finding Larkspur: A Return to Village Life, came to visit the Stratford Public Library on Oct. 22 and will be at the Perth East Recreation Complex on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. in Milverton, followed by St. Marys’ Pyramid Recreation Centre on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.

After Ontario Public Libraries Week, the Stratford Public Library will host the “AI and You: A Beginner’s Guide to AI, Digital Citizenship and Safety Online” on Oct. 30 from 6- 7 p.m. The event aims to teach patrons how to “break the fake” and beware of scams, as well as mis- and disinformation.

"With AI changing how we find and share information, libraries are extremely important more than ever and librarians, that's what we do. We help you figure out what's real and what matters and what's reliable information and there's skills that a computer just doesn't really have,” Robinson said. “In a world where anyone can publish anything, libraries teach us how to think critically and ask the right questions. That's something we could all use a little bit more of these days."

Robinson said that along with supporting libraries during Ontario Public Libraries Week, patrons can support them year-round by using the library and its services.

“We have free resources for people in all stages of their life from babies to seniors and there's books, programs, just general services to help people fulfill their life goals and there's also opportunities to give back by donating financially, donating their time through volunteering and just supporting us in the community,” she said.

More information about the Stratford Public Library’s programming is available online by visiting https://splibrary.ca.