Trecia Schell
It’s the start of the new year, and that means new resolutions. If one of your resolutions is to take better care of yourself, the library has lots of great books and DVDs available to borrow, and several community-sponsored free wellness programs, including Beginner Yoga and Laughter Yoga!
The New Glasgow library has a drop-in Laughter Yoga program, with Shelley Ballantyne on Tuesdays from noon until 12:50 p.m., and a beginners yoga class sponsored by PicCoLA at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information or to register, direct message PiCCoLA or email: [email protected]. Gillian Arnold is offering a free beginner yoga class in January at the Pictou library on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. Space is limited, and registration is required by contacting the Pictou library at 902-485-5021.
January is also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and the library has continued to add to our Dementia-Friendly Memory Collection for memory-impaired adults. There are books for all reading levels (fiction and non-fiction), memory kits, puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and some games too. All you need to borrow these items is your library card.
Another great tip for improving brain health is to learn a new language (also very handy, if you have some travel plans in the near future). The library has Rocket Languages, an award-winning, interactive online language learning program. The program allows users to learn conversational language at their own pace with access from anywhere and downloadable lessons that makes for easy access on all MP3 compatible devices. Rocket Languages is also available as a free App for Android and iOS devices, so you can learn languages on the go. Just search your favourite app store for Rocket Languages. All you need is your library card to start learning a new language! If you prefer to learn with others, the Pictou library has a Gaelic discussion group, Gaelic Friends, that meets weekly on Thursdays at 1 p.m. New members are welcome. For more information, contact the Pictou library, (902) 485-5021.
To wrap up the month, Jan. 27 is Family Literacy Day, and we will celebrate all week long, with lots of great, family fun for all ages. We have several daily, drop-in scavenger hunts at our libraries in Westville, River John and New Glasgow. The Stellarton library will have a Snuggle Up & Read Family PJ Party on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m., and there will be a special Family Storytime with guest readers at the Pictou library on Saturday Jan. 25 at 10:30 a.m.
And moving into February, we have several special programs planned to recognize African Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “The Ties that Bind: Faith, Family & Community.”
River John (Thursday, Jan. 30, 6:15 p.m.) and New Glasgow (Wednesday, Feb. 19, 6:30 p.m.) libraries will share a screening of the NFB documentary film, “Remember Africville” (1991, 35 minutes). This film depicts Africville, a small black settlement that lay within the city limits of Halifax. In the 1960s, families there were uprooted and their homes demolished in the name of urban renewal and integration. Former residents, their descendants and some of the decision makers are featured in this film.
The Maritime Centre for African Dance will be hosting an African Storytelling workshop, on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the New Glasgow library, from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Storytelling is an integral part of the African Culture, and is passed on through the generations. This workshop is open for all ages. All are welcome to drop in.
For more information on all our upcoming library programs and services, please call or drop by your local library, follow us on Twitter, find us on Facebook, or visit us online at www.parl.ns.ca .
Trecia Schell is community services librarian and branch librarian for Books-by-Mail, River John, Stellarton and Trenton public libraries.
