Here are a few highlights from November 2024 at RDPL!
The Dawe Branch Celebrates 30 Years!
The Dawe Branch's 30th Birthday Party was a heartwarming celebration of community and connection. Former staff members returned to reminisce and reconnect, sharing fond memories of their time at the library. Visitors enjoyed complimentary coffee and cake, while families delighted in activities at the Community Playground, with laughter and joy filling the space. Our talented volunteer balloon artist added a festive touch, creating fun designs for children. The day was made even more special by an impromptu storytime led by one of the attending moms, showcasing the library's spirit of spontaneous community engagement.
RDPL Staff Development Day
On November 29, we held our annual Staff Development Day, which was a fantastic day for learning, team building, and fun! We welcomed guest speakers Dean Pasiuk and Lee Caine from the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre, Stephanie and Yvonne Hodgkins and Maia Johnson from Red Deer Queer Community Association, and Shay Vanderschaeghe, who each gave informative and insightful presentations. We also presented four staff with long service awards: Simon, Sage, Michelle, and Briana, who are all celebrating ten years with the RDPL team. We finished the day with a trivia challenge for all staff! We are grateful to be able to bring all of our staff together once a year for this essential staff learning opportunity.
Métis Week Celebrations
Representatives from the Métis Nation of Alberta set up displays and played traditional music at the Downtown, Dawe, and Timberlands Branches in recognition of Métis Week. Elder Lloyd and Rhonda also enthusiastically shared their knowledge of Métis culture and history with students at the Timberlands Branch and gifted RDPL with a copy of Our Voices, Our Wisdom: Metis Stories of Strength and Courage.
Books and Bannock Book Club
The Books and Bannock Book Club continues to get a positive response from participants! The book club is a partnership with Red Deer Native Friendship Society (RDNFS) and highlights books written by Indigenous authors. Our November choice featured a Metis author, Michelle Porter (in honour of Metis Week!), entitled A Grandmother Begins the Story. The book was a big hit with all participants, with many citing it as their favourite so far! The photo below includes a few plates of the delicious bannock provided by the RDNFS volunteers.
Wild Robot Party
On November 8, Library Assistants Summer and Deb hosted a School’s Out Wild Robot Party for fans of the popular kids’ fiction series (with the movie adaptation in theatres). Enthusiastic children created their own “wild robot” from recycled materials, added items to help camouflage their creations based on different backdrops, and followed a scavenger hunt to rescue their baby goose.
Sweet Science
On November 10th, Library Assistants Deb and Lee held a school aged STEAM program, Sweet Science, for families with children of all ages. We had a full house of participants who took part in a variety of science experiments featuring candy and sugar.
Soveniatko: Ukrainian Storytime
Our Ukrainian Storytime at the library was full of fun and learning! We read Ukrainian folktales and rhymes, using exciting voices and expressions. The children enjoyed acting out the stories and playing games to learn new Ukrainian words. To finish, we had a cozy tea party with treats and small gifts. It was a perfect way to wrap up a joyful day of exploration and connection to Ukrainian culture. We can't wait for the next adventure!
Travel Memories: A Blast from the Past!
Faye Hallett shared a wonderful presentation about the unforgettable canoe trip that she took with her husband, John, over the course of four months back in 1985. The trip followed the traditional voyageur route from Rocky Mountain House, down the North Saskatchewan River to Lake Winnipeg, to Lake Superior, and over to the Ottawa River to Montreal – involving 67 portages and covering over 5200 km.
We Love School Tours!
School Tours at our various branches happen throughout the school year. In October and November this year, we were thrilled to host several classes from the Foundations programs at Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. The students were introduced to the Library, read some of our favourite stories and given lots of time to explore the space at our Downtown Branch. The Physical Literacy & Community Connections Coordinator from the program sent us a lovely thank you note and shared that after the tour one of their nonverbal students brought his device to his teacher, completely unprompted during their lunch break, with this message on the screen:
Library Staff are Super Sleuths!
Library staff members Laura and Simon were able to successfully help a patron locate an Alberta-based wet-felt artist based on information that they had from an Alberta Teachers Convention pre-2011, which referenced sheep. The customer expressed her gratitude, saying they were both excellent and had made her day!
Adult Literacy Program Updates
In November, the Adult Literacy Program registered 7 new tutors and 31 new learners. The Program matched 27 pairs. The Program also saw an increase in exam proctoring requests as many students are finishing their school semesters.
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