Barrie Public Library
The City of Barrie has two library branches, the main branch located in Barrie’s City Centre and the second located in Barrie’s Painswick neighborhood. Barrie’s library serves over 140,000 residents working to bring the community together through the variety of programs and events they offer.
In 2018 the City Centre branch underwent significant reconstruction providing a community hub that serves many purposes in one space such as independent study, group collaborations, literacy programs, and social gatherings. Over the next four years, the Barrie Public Library has made a strategic plan that will focus on awareness, connections, relevance, inclusion, and culture. They know that the way residents work, learn and play is continuously changing, and the library needs to change with them to create a library that continues to bring the community together to discover opportunities.
The Barrie Public Library offers a variety of programs for kids of all ages and even adults that focus on literacy and lifelong learning. Some programs you will find are storytimes, language courses, life skills programs, and author visits. One of their most recent partnerships is with the Small Business Centre in Barrie, which provides small business support programs for businesses that need help starting their business or for those who are already in operation.
Essa Public Library
Essa township also has two different branch locations in Angus and Thornton. Their mission is to offer programs that foster lifelong learning opportunities, technology training, literacy support, programming for families, and a collection of materials for all to borrow.
A unique program to Essa Public Library is the “Beanstack” app virtual program that allows users to discover and complete activities and reading challenges from the comfort of their home. This is something that the whole family can get involved in. Some other programs you can find on their website are writing classes, take-home explorer packs, and a variety of different reading programs.
Innisfil IdeaLAB and Library
Innisfil has three different library campuses to serve the needs of their smaller hamlets within. You can find locations in Cookstown, Stroud, and Lakeshore. The library offers some unique programs and events that provide kids with many opportunities to learn about day-to-day life skills, especially in a mainly digital age. Teens can learn and further their digital skills by taking a class in Photoshop or video editing and learning about the fundamentals of social media marketing.
Furthermore, they offer free computer use for up to one hour, access to printing, copying, and faxing, and a variety of resource and support services. The library has a variety of programs for all different age groups. Families can get inspired and explore their imagination by trying out some of the activities in the STEAM Lab, which hosts a variety of learning lessons in math, science, arts, and more. Adults can join classes to learn about gardening basics, sewing or they can join the library’s book club. There is sure to be something for everyone here.
New Tecumseth Public Library
The New Tecumseth Public Library has multiple branches located in Alliston, Beeton, and Tottenham each offering a variety of programs for kids, teens, and adults. All three locations offer a space to inspire the creativity, curiosity, collaboration and shared knowledge of all community members.
A unique program to the New Tecumseth Public Libraries is the Story Dogs program. This program is for children who may be having trouble reading and can come read to a therapy dog that is free from judgment. Some other children programs you will discover are onsite homework help, and other interactive programs and events.
For teens, they offer a book bundle program consisting of easy to more challenging novel reads. Teens can also join the book review crew by reading these novels and providing a short review of the book to the library so they can share it with others. This is a great way for teens to engage with their community. Lastly, adults can enjoy a book club gathering once a week. Here you will read a part of the book and come together for a discussion about the chapter each week. Other additional programs offered for adults are money management classes, play reading, and poetry programs.
Springwater Public Library
The township of Springwater has three library branches located in Elmvale, Minesing, and Midhurst. Their mission is to foster literacies, lifelong learning experiences, and community partnerships by bringing people, businesses, and organizations together through participation in their programs.
Some programs they offer are book clubs for different age groups, take and make kits to bring home author talks, and skill-based learning classes. More recently they hosted a panel event where teens from the community came to talk about their experiences with dyslexia. These events will be hosted monthly focusing on different topics.
Collingwood Public Library
The Collingwood Public Library offers valuable opportunities for kids, teens, and adults. The library provides a comfortable and quiet reading space, access to computers, and meeting rooms that are fully equipped. Collingwood Public Library has a unique program for families that will help foster lifelong learning for the whole family. Families will get an interactive story map to explore and discover places where they can experience literacy in the community year-round. This is a great way to explore the community while also providing a great learning experience.
For teens living in Collingwood, also have a ton of research resources that make it easy for kids to navigate and learn how to properly research. The library also offers two different programs teens can get involved in and will also help provide them with community service hours. In the Youth Promoters Program, teens will read a book and submit a review that will be shared with others interested in reading that same book. Secondly, the Teen Advisory Circle encourages engagement from teens in the community allowing them to have a say in library programs, services, and materials.
Most importantly the library has set up a program to welcome newcomers into the community to help them settle in. The booklet will provide key information about local services and businesses, and information about the town and region. Additionally, newcomers will also receive a free visit to explore all the town and library has to offer.
-The BDAR Team