News from Pelham Public Library
BY AMY GUILMETTE
Acting CEO
Reading is essential to the wellbeing of society and to our functioning as a democracy. According to the Canadian National Reading Campaign, it cultivates civic participation, increases empathy, reduces stress, and is associated with better health.
Knowing that reading can enhance the quality of our lives, Pelham Public Library has set up a Community Challenge for Pelham residents to read a combined 500,000 minutes this summer. With a sponsorship from the Kiwanis Club of Welland/Pelham, we were able to purchase a mobile reading app called Beanstack. Dubbed the “Fitbit for Reading” app, Pelham residents of all ages can use Beanstack to log minutes spent reading and earn virtual badges to complete challenges. There are also opportunities to be entered into draws for prizes. Beanstack registration began on Tuesday via the Library website at https://pelhamlibrary.on.ca/summer-reading/ We would like to see all ages participate and help Pelham succeed in reaching 500,000 minutes.
Curbside pickup of Pelham Library materials started on May 25. Order your materials and items will be checked out prior to pickup. Staff will put your materials on a table just outside the Library’s door at a pre-arranged pickup time. Not sure what you want to borrow? Give us a call and Library staff can provide assistance with picking out the right book or DVD for you.
On June 1, LiNC (Libraries in Niagara Cooperative) opened up sharing between Pelham, Lincoln, Thorold, NOTL, and Fort Erie Public Libraries. Place a hold on an item from any of these libraries and pick it up curbside at the location of your choice. If you don’t have a Library card, not a problem. Contact us by email or phone and we will register you for one. All items returned to the Library are quarantined for 96 hours as advised by Niagara Public Health.
Are you having difficulty accessing our curbside service, or know someone who needs home delivery? We offer doorstep delivery of Library items for those in need. Give us a call and we’ll set this service up.
For those who prefer to access their reading materials digitally, Pelham has purchased e-book copies of the most popular titles in OverDrive (Libby). This means shorter holds lists on these titles for Pelham residents. We have also purchased a selection of juvenile/teen titles to complement summer reading. If you want to read a book immediately and can’t find it in OverDrive, our subscription to Hoopla offers Pelham Library card holders a full range of reading materials without the wait.
Entry into the Library buildings for residents is still under provincial restriction and we await announcements for permission to increase our services. When we enter into Stage 2, Phase 1, we will continue curbside service but we will also be allowed to offer public access to library computers and the internet within the building. Library staff are currently moving furniture, increasing cleaning, and setting up PPE for a future phase of Short Stay, Limited Services, where we anticipate allowing residents to browse for materials while limiting capacity, enforcing distancing, and increasing sanitation.
If you would like to borrow materials from the Library, there are three ways to do so: place a hold, email [email protected], or call our staff during curbside hours. (Fonthill: 905-892-6443 / Maple Acre: 905-892-5226)
Fonthill Branch curbside hours are Monday 11 AM – 4 PM, Tuesday 2 PM – 7 PM, and Friday 10 AM – 4 PM. Curbside at Maple Acre is on Thursday 1 PM – 6 PM.
