When the leaves have fallen and there's a chill in the air, you can bet that it's about time to join us for Christmas Open House at the Victoria Avenue Library, and the Stamford, Chippawa and Community Centre branch libraries. Staff have been busy in all locations decorating and putting their creativity to use. Now, each location invites everyone to celebrate the season by stopping by and enjoying some home made goodies, warm apple cider and Christmas punch.

On Saturday, November 28th, from 2 - 4 pm at the Stamford branch, great seasonal tunes will get you in the holiday spirit. Both adults and children will have a chance to be 'crafty', making a Christmas ornament or a unique greeting card to send. Join us on Sunday, November 29 for the Victoria Avenue Library’s annual musical open house. Stop by the LaMarsh Room between 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for some light refreshments and enjoy the sounds of the holiday season with music by Chime FX, Second Stringers, Silver Tones and our talented library...

The movie featured this week for the November 24 Big Screen Tuesday is based on the generation defining event, “Woodstock”. There cannot be many who do not have some sense of the 3 days of peace, love and music in rural upstate New York in 1969, attended by the thousands of young people who came together to groove! This film is the story, adapting a memoir by Eliot Tiber, of how it came to be, as a young entrepreneur, trying to save his family’s motel business, offers space to the promoters, in order to generate some income. He also was responsible for introducing his neighbour with the 600 acre farm to the Woodstock Ventures group. Before long the townspeople are overwhelmed and their lives transformed forever by the experience. It has been called the small story behind the big story. Dimetri Martin and Eugene Levy star in this 14A rated film, directed by Ang Lee . Start time is 7pm in the LaMarsh Room and it’s free.

This upcoming week features a variety of holiday...

Every year for one week during the month of November, public libraries across Ontario are required to “measure and record” the activities within their library. There are specific statistics to be recorded and sent to the Ontario Ministry of Culture to be compiled in the Annual Survey of Public Libraries. These numbers are meant to reflect a typical week and are used also by municipalities to report “library measures” for the Municipal Performance Measures program. We count the number of items circulated, the number of visits to the library, both walk-in and electronic, the number of materials used in the library, and the number of reference inquiries to name but a few. Beginning Sunday, November 15, through Sunday November 22, library users may notice staff counting! Several weeks back, volunteer opportunities for “counters” were mentioned for this week and there are still some hours available. Please call any branch library for remaining available time slots, if interested. This past week was the finale...

With the growing popularity of the Toronto Film Festival and the exposure to multicultural influences in our communities, more and more patrons are asking for international movies. In response, we are starting a new film series beginning this Sunday afternoon, Nov 8th  “Exploring World Cinema” in the LaMarsh Room at 2pm. The first presentation will be Cinema Paradiso from Italy (1988). It was the Oscar winning “Best Foreign Film” and received the “Special Jury Prize” at the Cannes Film Festival. The story is a nostalgic look at a young boy’s coming of age in postwar Italy. The film is subtitled in English.

Library staff have arranged with some our great new Queen Street establishments, to offer discounts on food and beverages, with proof of admission to encourage attendees to explore our downtown when they come to the Library, and make an afternoon of it. Café Nautica, Mide Bistro, Paris Crepes Bistro and That’s Amore Pizzeria are all participating. Contact the library for more information. On Monday...

The history of Niagara Falls comes alive in a debut novel “The day the Falls stood still” by Cathy Marie Buchanan , a former resident of Niagara Falls. We are happy to welcome Cathy to the Library on Saturday November 7th at 2pm for a short presentation and discussion of the book and her career. Copies of the book will be available for sale and to be signed. The story begins in 1915 with a poignant description of end of term at Loretto. For anyone who ever roamed those halls, it is very real. The story goes on to bring other recognizable buildings and places back to life. Library staff assisted Cathy as she researched the Local History collection for background and details.

Do you know what your rights are as a consumer? The provincial government handles thousands of call from consumers and debtors caught up in disputes. Chances are you don’t know how to complain effectively...