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Bill V.

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"Peace is not the absence of war but the absence of fear": International Day of Peace 2022

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. I'm a Quaker (The Religious Society of Friends) and central to our faith is... Continue reading

Posted Sep 27, 2022 at Arts & Culture

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"As He Lay Dying": Memoirs of Fathers

As he lay dying in hospital, my father's arm moved back and forth and he quietly moaned. His eyes were closed and he was unconscious with a brain bleed. I leaned down and whispered in his ear how much I loved and respected him and I would protect him. And... Continue reading

Posted Jun 9, 2022 at Arts & Culture

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Celebrate World Milk Day June 1, 2022

If you like milk then please say Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! June 1 is World Milk Day. Created in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, it's a day to recognize the importance of milk. Milk is a global food and the dairy industry employs many people around the... Continue reading

Posted May 25, 2022 at Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

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Celebrating May Day: Working Class History in Canada

May 1st is known world wide as May Day, and celebrated as International Labor Day. To help celebrate May Day, I thought it would be interesting to look at some Canadian labour history. Working Lives: Essays in Canadian Working-Class History: Craig Heron is one of Canada's leading labour historians...Working Lives... Continue reading

Posted Apr 21, 2022 at Arts & Culture

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Great Books on Black History in Toronto and Ontario

For Black History Month, here are some titles about our province's richly diverse past. For other reading lists and upcoming programs, see our Black History and Culture page. Also be sure to check out our Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection. I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A... Continue reading

Posted Jan 21, 2022 at Arts & Culture

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Celebrating Betty White and Her "Dusty Muffin"

This January 17 would have been the wonderful Betty White's 100th birthday. She died, with impeccable timing, on New Year's Eve (great for the news cycle). She was a gifted comedian, well known for her roles on Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls and more recently Hot in Cleveland. But... Continue reading

Posted Jan 6, 2022 at Arts & Culture

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Indulge In Epistolary Voyeurism: Read Other People's Letters

I used to be a great letter writer and postcard sender, although now I enjoy texting more than putting pen to paper. Luckily for us, people in earlier times did write letters instead of email and text, and folks valued and kept them. There is nothing in my mind more... Continue reading

Posted Nov 25, 2021 at Arts & Culture

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Canada and World War 1: Visual and Diverse Recommendations

In honour of Remembrance Day, I am sharing a diverse mix of more visual Canadian material on World War One (WW1). Canadian WW1 poster. View on Digital Archive Ontario. Visual Books They Fought in Colour / La Guerre en couleur: A New Look at Canada's First World War Effort /... Continue reading

Posted Nov 2, 2021 at Arts & Culture

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Thanks for reading the blog and noting the broken link. It’s fixed now and provides portal access to scanned versions of the newspaper from the 1850s. Am Interesting read and window into bygone times in their own words.

Commented Oct 20, 2021 on Celebrating Mary Ann Shadd, Canada's First Black Female Newspaper Publisher at Arts & Culture

1 reply

Celebrating Mary Ann Shadd, Canada's First Black Female Newspaper Publisher

You may have seen this mural of Mary Ann Shadd by local artist Adeyemi Adegbesan (also known as Yung Yemi) on Mackenzie House (the home of William Lyon Mackenzie). In his distinctive "Afrofuturist" style he's re-imagining a portrait of the American-born Shadd who worked and lived in Canada during the... Continue reading

Posted Oct 8, 2021 at Arts & Culture

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Older and Still Popular: Books on Self Help and Psychology Part 2

There are 100 libraries in Toronto and each branch has it's own character, collection and community. Across all libraries though, among the most popular subjects are psychology and self help books (Dewey call number 150-159). But there's another area of the collection in the 170s Dewey Decimal Call (DDC) number... Continue reading

Posted Sep 3, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books

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Older and Still Popular: Books by and about Journalists

There are 100 libraries in Toronto and each branch has it's own character, collection and community. Across all libraries though, biographies and memoirs are popular. In this blog post I'm looking at the life experiences of journalists (very broadly defined!). The Dewey call number range for these books is 070-079.... Continue reading

Posted Jul 7, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books

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Older and Still Popular: Books About Books, Libraries and Reading

There are 100 libraries in Toronto and each branch has it's own character, collection and community. Across all libraries though, perhaps not surprisingly, books on books, reading and books about libraries are quite popular. The Dewey call number range for these books is 020-029. Some older books have withstood the... Continue reading

Posted Jun 4, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books

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"I love you too, Billy": Books about Dementia and Family

Bill V. and Mom both in masks. (Mom's the pretty one) My Mom is 90 and living with dementia. This isn't a unique or even unusual story. It breaks my heart to see her decline. But I've come up with some coping mechanisms that helped me through this. I batch... Continue reading

Posted May 14, 2021 at Health and Wellness Blog

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There Are Three Kinds of Farts: Funny Flatulence Books for Kids

There's a joke in my family that starts "there are three kinds of farts." My Mom, who is living with dementia, finds this old chestnut very funny, mainly because it has very graphic sound effects, but also because it taps into a memory from her youth when she was growing... Continue reading

Posted Apr 30, 2021 at Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

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Older and Still Popular: Self Help and Psychology Books

There are 100 libraries in Toronto and each branch has it's own character, collection and community. But across all libraries, among the most popular subjects are psychology and self help books (Dewey call number 150-159). Some older books have withstood the test of time being borrowed over and over, and... Continue reading

Posted Apr 12, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books

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If the Shoe Fits: Footwear Function and Fashion

“Wearing wonderful shoes is a truly uplifting experience." – Thea Cadabra Who could not use such a thing as appropriate footwear? Everyone needs shoes and everyone wants the nicest shoes they can find because the impact of making a bad shoe choice is felt in an instant. Whether you are... Continue reading

Posted Feb 19, 2021 at Arts & Culture

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Living the Cottage Life

For some lucky folks, summer means going to a cottage. We're fortunate my husband's cousins (Betty and Peter) generously let us use their cottage most summers. This year we did the hand off with everyone keeping six feet apart and also wearing masks. We generally give them two cases of... Continue reading

Posted Sep 3, 2020 at Arts & Culture

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10 of My Favourite Movies You Can Stream with Your Library Card

Since library branches are closed, and we're all staying home as much as we can, we want to make sure that you're stocked up with a wide variety of things to read and watch. My colleague Wendy has already written a great blog 38 Ways to Use the Library from... Continue reading

Posted Apr 15, 2020 at Arts & Culture

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Just Got an iPhone and Joined Instagram... Now What Do I Do?

I'm a bit of a luddite and just got a personal phone. After lurking on Instagram I just joined and then kind of froze. After several weeks and a few posts I have two followers (thanks Mom and random Internet stranger) so I decided to do what every good librarian... Continue reading

Posted Mar 2, 2020 at Arts & Culture

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"Money Makes the World Go Around"

I was watching Cabaret last night, and as always was blown away by Liza Mannelli and Joel Grey's performances and Bob Fosse's choreography. So I thought to myself as I was humming this song on the way to work, why not write a blog about money? The Ascent of Money:... Continue reading

Posted Feb 24, 2020 at Arts & Culture

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Circles and Other Round Things

Did you know the S. Walter Stewart Branch, built in 1960, is round – one of only four round libraries at the time? I work here, which is lovely by the way (come visit!), and my thoughts often turn to round things (such as cookies) and I thought it might... Continue reading

Posted Dec 12, 2019 at Arts & Culture

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The Penis: Fun Facts, Photos and More

It's Movember and our thoughts turn to men's health, suicide prevention, the prostate and, of course, the penis. So ... if you've ever had burning questions here's your chance to delve into the meat and potatoes of this fascinating topic. The Penis Book: A Doctor's Complete Guide to the Penis--From... Continue reading

Posted Nov 21, 2019 at Arts & Culture

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I Lost My Wallet and Then I Found It: Good Luck!

Do you ever think about good luck? Good Luck vintage black cat silk postcard, WW1 era. I visited my Doctor this morning and spent a few minutes in the waiting room. After the visit, I left and got ready to bike to work and checked my bag and couldn't find... Continue reading

Posted Sep 13, 2019 at Arts & Culture

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Toronto's Labour Day Parade and Labour History

It's the Labour Day long weekend and one's thoughts naturally turn to: Visiting The Canadian National Exhibition (Or, as we usually think of it, the CNE or The Ex). Going back to school (supplies and new corduroys!) Getting stuck in traffic jams to and from a cottage. Marching in or... Continue reading

Posted Aug 27, 2019 at Arts & Culture

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