CBC.ca: Thunder Bay library welcomes street outreach nurses

May 22, 2018 | By Amy Hadley

Shelley Aretz, a public health nurse with the Thunder Bay Public Library, opens a suitcase of supplies she's now using to serve clients at the Brodie Library in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Amy Hadley/CBC)

On Friday afternoons at the Brodie Resource Library in Thunder Bay, Ont., patrons can now take out books and access some forms of non-emergency health care in the same visit.

In a room tucked away at the back of the building, street outreach nurses are now setting up for several hours each week, offering services such as sexually transmitted infection testing, wound care, naloxone kit training and counselling.

"It's about meeting community needs," said Tina Tucker, the director of communities for the Thunder Bay Public Library, adding that people visiting the library are often in need of health or social services that librarians are not equipped to provide.

"I think it's an awesome way for us to be able to deliver a service that would be unexpected in libraries, but is helpful for the people that use us every day."

After noticing the health unit's outreach vehicle parked in the neighbourhood, Tucker said the library asked the nurses if they might like to set up shop inside.

"I thought it it was a great idea," said Shelley Aretz, a public health nurse with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

"We're happy to go wherever people are and meet them where they're at to offer services that are needed." 

They've already connected with some new clients by adding the library to their list of stops, she said.

It can be difficult for some clients to make their way to clinics, and that's why it's so important to bring health services out into the community, she added.

"It helps to improve health outcomes for a lot of people."

Hosting nurses is just one more way in which the public library is striving to become a true community hub, Tucker said, pointing to other programs and community partnerships that are expanding the range of services offered, including access to a social worker who now holds hours in two library branches.

The street outreach workers can be found on the second level of the Brodie library on Fridays, between 1 and 3:30 p.m.

Source: CBC.ca

CBC.ca: Thunder Bay Public Library adopts anti-racism focus

Concerns about racism came through 'loud and clear,' in community consultations, says library CEO


May 11, 2018 | CBC

John Pateman, CEO of the Thunder Bay Public Library,
says the job of libraries is to listen to, and respond to,
the needs of the community. (Thunder Bay Public Library)

What role should libraries play in our community today? The head of the Thunder Bay Public Library believes it should be about much more than books. And that's why one of the new focuses for the organization, is combatting racism. 9:14

John Pateman understands that it might take some time for people to wrap their heads around the idea of libraries fighting racism.

"I think people don't immediately get the connection between what a library does and racism," said Pateman, the CEO and Chief Librarian of the public library service in Thunder Bay, Ont. "They think of the library, often, still as a very traditional kind of service, traditional building, providing books and information."

This issue of racism has come through loud and clear

         - John Pateman, CEO, Thunder Bay Public Library

But to Pateman, libraries are about more than books and information. They're also about meeting the broader needs of the community.

And that's why, he said, as the Thunder Bay Public Library develops its next strategic plan, it's identified decolonization and anti-racism efforts as priorities.

Racism has made Thunder Bay the subject of national and even international headlines in recent years, said Pateman.

It also emerged as a frequent topic in community consultations held by the library, to get a better sense of what people hope for and worry about in the city.

"What we've found time and time again, in pretty much every conversation, doesn't matter who we've spoken to, what the demographic is ... is this issue of racism has come through loud and clear."   

All four branches of the Thunder Bay Public Library will soon have sections dedicated to Indigenous knowledge and history, said library CEO John Pateman. (wikimedia.org)

New partnerships, services

While they are taking a stronger stance, the focus on racism isn't actually a dramatic change for the library, he said, adding that the library's current five-year strategic plan, which expires at the end of this year, focused on social inclusion and diversity.

With those goals in mind, the library has already been taking steps to change its structure and practices.

One of the first steps was to appoint an Indigenous liaison worker, who in turn, put together an Indigenous advisory council which is guiding the library as it moves forward, said Pateman.

Library patrons will start to notice some more visible changes. All four branches will soon have "Indigenous knowledge centres" — dedicated sections filled with books relating to Indigenous knowledge and culture.

Highlighting books on Indigenous culture

The creation of these knowledge centres has also prompted the library to take a critical look at books in its collection; in particular, books about Indigenous people written by non-Indigenous people.

"This in itself has created discussion and debates about what is sitting on our shelves," Pateman said. "How much of it is settler, colonial material, effectively, and how much is authentic material?"

Another change is underway at the Waverley Library, where Anishinabek Employment and Training Services — an organization that provides employment training and assistance to Indigenous people — will occupy the lower floor of the library building. The two organizations will work together and share resources, he said.

All examples of how libraries can further their role as inclusive community hubs, as well as places to borrow books, Pateman said.

Source: CBC.ca

Ontario.ca: Ontario Making the Largest Investment in Public Libraries in a Generation

Province Boosting Access to Technology, Digital Library Resources

May 4, 2018 | Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Ontario is making the largest investment in public libraries in a generation, and improving access to technology, digital services and training opportunities at public libraries in towns, cities and Indigenous communities across the province.

Daiene Vernile, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was at the Kitchener Public Library today to announce new support for Ontario's libraries through the 2018 Budget.

A new provincial Digital Public Library will be created that will make digital library services such as e-books, audiobooks, digital databases and learning resources available for free to people across Ontario, regardless of where they live. In total, 300 public libraries across the province will be supported, including those in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

In addition the province is also boosting annual funding for libraries by $51 million over three years, to ensure that public libraries can continue to be essential spaces for people to access cultural experiences, technology and community life. These new investments will support libraries across Ontario as they continue to respond to the needs of their residents with innovative services, no matter the size of the community.

Investing in libraries is part of the government's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and free preschool child care from 2 ½ to kindergarten.

Quick Facts

• Ontario is investing $28 million over three years to create a provincial Digital Public Library.
• Ontario’s 2018 budget will also invest $51 million over three years in annual increases to public library operating funding.
• The Digital Public Library will be phased in and available provincewide within three years.
• Ontario is home to 300 public libraries, including 46 First Nations libraries that serve over 99 per cent of the population.
• This funding supports Ontario’s Culture Strategy and the commitment to support Ontario’s public and First Nation libraries as essential spaces for people to access cultural experiences, technology and community life.

Source: Ontario.ca