Current Releases
|
Richmond Public Library, in partnership with Simon Fraser University, is hosting a free Philosopher’s Café in Russian on February 18th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ironwood Branch, located in the Ironwood Plaza at the corner of Steveston Highway and No. 5 Road. This will be a free discussion. This drop-in program is for Russian speaking adults. For information on other library events, visit www.yourlibrary.ca/whatson.cfm. Contact:
“Our Friends group is such a hardworking, dedicated bunch of people, and we’re so grateful for their generosity,” said chief librarian Greg Buss. “They’ve been contributing to the library for years and their annual book sales are one of the most popular community events in Richmond.” At a recent library board meeting on Jan. 27th the Friends’ chairperson Betsy Blair handed over the large cheque to the library. Some of the items to be sponsored this year include: favourite picture books and kids’ fiction for all Richmond Library branches; information books for kids; children’s music CDs; classics of Western Civilization; a 2010 legacy collection of Canadian books; humour and non-fiction books for the library’s book club collection; and a donation towards setting up a Richmond Public Library endowment fund in the Richmond Community Foundation. “These items will undoubtedly be in high demand, and we’re delighted to have this extra boost to our collections,” added Buss. Buss said that each year the Library puts together a wish list of items they need, and then the Friends of the Library decides which items they’d like to support. “They’ve been incredibly generous over the years, and we really appreciate their ongoing commitment to literacy and to helping our community thrive." Contact:
Poised to welcome the world to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Richmond O Zone celebration site will be a hub of activity from February 12th – 28th, with the Library smack in the middle of it all. Visitors wanting a break from the crowds can grab a coffee and cheer on their favorite athletes or teams while watching the Games in the Library’s large screen TV lounges. Out-of-town guests can catch up on news from home with electronic international newspapers or email family and friends at our free Internet Café. “Kids and families will love our Canadian Cinema where we’ll be showing National Film Board movies and cartoons daily during the Olympics. And the Coach Exhibit, well you definitely don’t want to miss that!” says Chief Librarian, Greg Buss. Created locally by LiveWires Design, this hands-on game and interactive science exhibition about Olympic athletes and coaches encourages kids to shoot a hockey goal, check out body organs up close, see what it feels like to ride on a Skeleton sled, make a flip book, and play computer games based on sports and fitness. It’s a one-of-a-kind exhibit that makes learning fun. Once the Olympics start, kids can have their photo taken with a life-size Ralphy the Rhino performing his favorite winter sports. That’s the famous Ralphy, from the round library card. Visitors should check out Crossroads on the main floor, where they can sample BC and Canadian magazines, get a cool book bag and see the Canadian Showcase Collection that highlights the best books about Canada. “Go ahead, be a champion and create a legacy for future generations of readers by supporting the Canadian Showcase Collection online at www.yourlibrary.ca/legacy,” adds Buss. “It’s a fantastic way to participate in the Olympic excitement and show off your national pride.” Book lovers will want to be part of BookCrossing, where they can read and release their books into the wild, then follow their travels through the world. And for those who want to know how it all started, check out the Story of the Games, a display that chronicles the history of the Olympics as seen on the cover pages of the Vancouver Sun and Province. Canwest Global, publisher of the Sun and Province, will update the front page coverage of the 2010 Games daily so readers can keep up to speed. As part of the O Zone, Brighouse Library hours will be changed to accommodate all the activities around them. The International Living Room will be open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Weekend hours are 12 noon – 9 p.m. These hours are in effect from February 12th – 28th. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show our international visitors all the unique things that make Canada the best place in the world to live. Join us in welcoming the world,” adds Buss.
Contact:
New to the Board are Sanjiv Khangura and Simon Tang, both appointed by Richmond City Council for a two year term. Mr. Khangura is a lifelong Richmond resident and comes to the Board with a solid range of experience as a pharmacist, and has a strong background in volunteering. He is currently a hospital pharmacist at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster. Mr. Tang brings strong and varied experience to the Board in the areas of information technology and software development, as well as project management. He is currently the Principal at Tangz Consulting, which specializes in contact center and wireless solutions. He also has strong volunteer experience in the community. As the Library Board Chair, one of Yoshikawa’s main focuses is to promote and encourage literacy in our community. She says, "Offering a broad range of resources and programs, we can help people with the practical issues they face in their daily lives. Libraries are free sources of knowledge and entertainment, a benefit to our community especially in the current economic climate. We provide traditional books as well as new technologies, and invite everyone to explore our libraries and our website when they want recreational reading, reference material, or literacy resources. Providing for the basic needs of our growing and diverse community is a challenge, but our Board members and library staff are working hard to do just that." Yoshikawa’s immediate focus though, is the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She says that the library’s International Living Room will be a unique and fun destination for visitors and regular library users – a place to relax, socialize and explore different aspects of the Games from a truly Canadian perspective. Richmond Public Library is an award-winning library system and the most heavily used community facility in Richmond. It is committed to the goals of education, lifelong learning and free access to information. The library had over 2 million visitors last year. Contact:
Over the last six months, the Coach exhibition designers have followed Olympic coaches from Canada, the United States and Europe as they trained twenty top athletes. Ten of the athletes – including skeleton slider Jeff Pain, speed skater Clara Hughes and hockey star Hailey Wickenheiser - have Olympic experience. The other ten are new faces. Visitors can explore the exhibits that include clothing and sports gear contributed by the athletes. Then visitors can enter a contest to assess how each of the twenty athletes will place in the final standings. The winner of the contest will receive a framed photograph of their favourite World Cup speed skater. To help visitors prepare for the contest, the exhibition has a website, www.braincells.net which includes games and interviews with the athletes and their coaches. Contest closes Thursday, February 11th. The exhibition will run until February 28th. “Coach is a must-see exhibit for kids and families,” says Dace Starr, senior librarian. “It’s a hands-on game and interactive science exhibition about Olympic athletes and coaches that makes learning about sports and fitness fun,” adds Starr. “With Coach you can try out your hockey skills, work on the Bone puzzles computer game, see body organs up close, and even build your own flip book!” So what are you waiting for? Check out the Coach Exhibition and have yourself some Olympic fun.The Coach Exhibition is part of the International Living Room at the Richmond O Zone, a place where visitors and locals can relax, socialize and catch the Olympic spirit in the comfort of a home-away-from-home.
Contact:
These 2 hour classes will be held on the following dates: 107 Introduction to Computers February 4, 2010 10:00 am – 12:00 noon 108 Introduction to MS Windows February 11, 2010 10:00 am – 12:00 noon 109 Getting Started on the Internet February 18, 2010 10:00 am – 12:00 noon 110 Email Basics February 25, 2010 10:00 am – 12:00 noon Register by visiting any branch of Richmond Public Library, by calling 604-231-6468, or online at www.yourlibrary.ca/whatson.cfm. “These classes are for Chinese seniors who have never used a computer before,” said the library’s coordinator of multilingual services, Wendy Jang. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. will provide the instructor and class assistants. Introduction to Computers will teach you about basic computer components, powering up and shutting down, how to use the mouse and keyboard and what to look for when buying a computer. Introduction to MS Windows will teach you how to use the calculator, play games, use different programs, save, print and delete files, maximize and minimize the screen, and close programs. Getting Started on the Internet will cover web browsers, basic search techniques, and how to watch movies and listen to the radio on the computer. Email Basics will teach you how to set up an email account, send, open and delete emails, and use and open attachments. For more information please call the library at 604-231-6468 or call S.U.C.C.E.S.S. at 604-408-7260. Contact:
The topic is: “Philosophical Aspects of Aging.” The guest speaker is Dr. Adolf Zilberstein. This is a free, drop-in program for Russian speaking adults. For information on other library events, visit www.yourlibrary.ca/whatson.cfm. Contact:
“We’re really grateful for the generous donation and for the opportunity to work with the Richmond Food Security Society to develop this collection,” said communications officer Shelley Civkin. “There are so many aspects to food security and all of them impact our daily lives enormously, from where our food is grown, to how much it costs, to future food needs, and more,” added Civkin. For more information about the Richmond Food Security Society please call their coordinator Arzeena Hamir at 604-727-9728. Check out the World Health Organization’s website at http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/ for additional information about food security.
Contact:
The Centre offers Mango Languages, an online learning system that combines audio and written lessons. The language learning software is interactive and easy to use and it now includes 22 languages and 14 ESL courses. The Mango Languages database is available online and can be used from any RPL computer. You can also access it remotely from home or office 24x7 via the library’s website at http://www.yourlibrary.ca/content.cfm?lev1=190&lev2=398. The 22 Mango Basic language courses include Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese. The 14 ESL courses are for native speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, French, German, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Greek, Japanese, Polish, Spanish, and Portuguese. The Language Learning Centre also offers Greenwood ESL language learning software that teaches English pronunciation, conversation and grammar. Since it’s CD-based it is only available for use in the Language Learning Centre. “The TD Canada Trust Language Learning Centre benefits students and new immigrants who are learning new languages, those who want to practice and improve their existing language skills and travelers who want to learn foreign languages. Being such a multicultural community and so integrated into the global economy, people find this language learning software really useful,” said Ping He, head of reference. Contact:
|