Expansion, Picton Gazette

February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day, it’s also Library Lover’s Day!

In fact, the entire of February is the perfect time to honour libraries, librarians, bookworms, and library lovers in your life. Help us by helping yourself. Did you know that the more our programs and services are used, the more public support we access? This is because our mandate is to serve our community, and the more we are needed the more we (hopefully) will be able to give. That’s why showing your support right now is of such vital importance, as we do our utmost to reach our fundraising goal. Our services are in high demand and we need more space and better facilities to meet those needs.

Your help can consist in visiting your local branch and checking out books or films. Or you can make Library Lover’s Month your opportunity to check out one of our many programs, from learning about Smart Home Devices on Feb 26th (10:30-12 in Picton, registration required), signing your kids up for our March Break programming (Superhero themed), attending a book signing and talk with authors Gary Smith and Alena Schram on Feb 28th (2pm in Picton), or attending one of our Fundraisers. This month they include Trivia Night (PEC History themed!) at the Waring House on Feb 19th at 7pm and An Afternoon At the Movies organ concert on Feb 16th at Picton United Church at 2:30. For more details on all these programs and events, visit our website.

We are still giving out Love Your Library lawn signs to those who give $5 or more to our expansion project. These are available at every branch, and are a great reason to pay us a visit. Take a picture of yours and tag us on social media @peclibrary And finally, if you know someone – a friend or a family member – who does not have a library membership, now is the chance for you to encourage them to get one.

I’ll leave you with some words from two of our Library Lovers.

“While I don’t live in Picton, I use the Picton library more than any other branch. Services I use include the following: An executive committee I belong to (PEC Field Naturalists) meets there once a month. PECFN has also occasionally been part of exhibitions that promote knowledge of the environment, held on the lower floor. We have members who live all over the County, and Picton is the most central place for us to meet. I’ve used the computer facilities in the basement for printing images for “image transfer,” an art technique I use extensively. […] Staff in the computer lab have taught me how to use software and have helped me out with Facebook. Staff also got a friend of mine started on her iPad.” – Gerry “Libraries are much more than a place to store books.

Libraries are the cultural lifeblood of our communities, where people come together to learn and share, where everyone is welcome. PEC libraries have long been for me a refuge, a place to both seek and pass on knowledge. They are a vital nexus in our County, and their employees and volunteers are wonderful people passionate about their work who daily make a real difference in people’s lives.” – Andrew McLuhan

-Halliday Reynolds