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Kingston Frontenac Public Library is excited to welcome Natalia Lyra e Silva in the second installment of our Brain Storm speakers’ series.  Each month from January through June students from Queen’s Centre for Neuroscience Studies talk about their research.  In February Natalia, a postdoctoral researcher, discusses the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

Alzheimer’s, a disease which impairs memory in the elderly, would at first glance seem to have nothing in common with diabetes, a metabolic disease most commonly affecting the middle-aged.  But researchers have found some connections: not only is having Type 2 diabetes associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s, the hormone insulin has been determined to be important for memory function.

“I witnessed firsthand my grandmother’s fight against Alzheimer’s disease,” says Natalia.  “The  lack of effective treatments to counteract the progressive cognitive decline that occurs in this disease motivated me to join the scientific community for the search for novel therapies and means of prevention. My goal as a scientist is to provide education about Alzheimer’s disease and increase awareness of how a healthy lifestyle can help prevent neurological disease.”

This event takes place at our Calvin Park branch on Thursday, February 13, at 7 p.m.  It is open to adults, and there is no admission charge, but seating is limited.  To avoid disappointment, please register in advance at calendar.kfpl.ca or by phone at (613) 549-8888, any time after 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 1.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 11 December 2019 12:37

Write On Sydenham Writers' Group

Are you a writer 18 or older who is already working on a writing project, or who is ready to start one? If you're interested in meeting with a group of other writers to share your work and to give and receive constructive criticism and helpful suggestions, you'd be most welcome to attend the monthly meetings of the new Write On Sydenham Writers' Group.

 

On the second Thursday of each month, award-winning author Jean Rae Baxter will host a session for up to ten writers from 2 until 4 p.m. at our Sydenham branch library.  You may come as often as you like, but because of space limitations we're asking all would-be attendees to register for each session.  This may be done online through calendar.kfpl.ca or by visiting or phoning any open Kingston Frontenac Public Library branch.  Registration for each meeting will open at 9 a.m. on the Saturday immediately before.

 

The next meetings will be on Thursday, December 12, and Thursday, January 9, at 2 p.m. at Sydenham branch.  Both sessions are open to all adults, but seating is limited.  To avoid disappointment, please register in advance online at calendar.kfpl.ca or by phone at (613) 549-8888, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 7 and on Saturday, January 4.

For more information, visit www.kfpl.ca.

Questions? Contact:  Anne Hall, 613-549-8888, ext.3528, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Library services are primarily funded and managed by local municipalities and that buffers them from impacts resulting from provincial budget cuts.

But they are not immune.

As part of their 2019 budget, the Progressive Conservative government under Premier Doug Ford cut half of the funding for Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS), an organisation that works with Ontario libraries to help ensure equitable access to library services across the Province.

One of the programs that SOLS has run ever since it was established in 1989 is the inter-library loan service. With this service, library users anywhere in the Province have access to publicly available books and other materials from all of the libraries in Ontario.

At least that was the case until last Friday. In response to the 50% cut in their budget, SOLS informed all the libraries that they serve that the program has been suspended.

The following notice was posted on the SOLS website by Chief Executive Officer Barbara Franchetto: “It is with great sadness that I have to inform public libraries in Southern Ontario that the SOLS interlibrary loan delivery service will permanently cease to operate, effective April 26th, 2019. I know this is very sad and disappointing news but given the enormity of the cut to our operating budget, there is no alternative. Even under our previous budget allocation, it was becoming difficult to sustain the service because of ever increasing operating costs.”

Patricia Enright, Chief Librarian/Chief Executive Officer of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL), said that she was surprised when she heard about the funding cut in the provincial budget, and saddened when she received word last Thursday that the inter-library loan service was being discontinued.

“It’s a service that has been part of Ontario libraries since before I started working in libraries over 30 years ago. It’s particularly important for small libraries that do not have large collections of their own, and those libraries will be hit hardest, I think,” she said in a phone interview on Tuesday morning (April 23).

KFPL serves the City of Kingston and Frontenac County, and members throughout Frontenac County can order materials from all KFPL branches, including the large Kingston branches, which are then delivered to their local branches. This service is not affected by the cut. However, access to materials from other libraries across the Province has been suspended, as of last week.

This accounts for about 4,500 deliveries each year from libraries across the Province,” said Enright, “a small fraction of the number of materials that the library loans out each year. Our patrons use the service mostly for out of print books and academic materials. It is one of the tools that we have always used to help patrons find the information they are looking for, if we don’t have it in our library.”

Enright added that while the courier system operated by SOLS is being shut down, there is a chance that an alternate delivery system can be found to get the service back on stream. They will know if those efforts are successful sometime in May.

Another service that SOLS offers is a bulk purchasing service for Ontario libraries, both for physical materials and digital services, such as Ancestry – an online genealogy service.

If that service ceases, it could lead to added costs, or less service, in libraries across the Province.

The Kingston Frontenac Public Library also receives a provincial operating grant of approximately $300,000, which represents 4% of its operating budget.

“We have been assured that those grants will not be affected by any cuts, at least for the current year,” said Enright.

Closing down the inter-library loan program will have a greater impact on the Addington Highlands (AH) library than it has on the Kingston Frontenac Library.

The small library, which has branches in Flinton and Denbigh, serves a population of 2,300 permanent residents. Head Librarian Bonnie Leon said that the AH library patrons were making use of the service over 500 times a year, which is significant for such a small population, as compared 4,500 inter-library loans in Kingston and Frontenac, which has a population of 150,000.

“As a small library, we have a limited collection of items, so cutting us off from Inter-Library loans will be felt right away,” said Leon. “Since this is the first week after the announcement, nobody really knows about it yet, but many people will be disappointed when they find out.”

Leon said she is hoping that some arrangement will be made, but realises that costs will likely go up if a service such as Canada Post is the delivery method for materials. The Addington Highlands library receives about 10% of its funding, $11,000, from provincial grants, which are remaining in place for 2019.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

Do you follow medical advice “everyone just knows”— like avoiding gluten or using sunscreen? Are these beliefs really based in science, or are they the modern equivalent of old wives’ tales?

Kingston's own Dr. Michael Hefferon has long been fascinated by the intersection of myth and medicine. Over his long career as a pediatrician, Dr. Hefferon collected 33 "medical myths" into his book Of Plagues and Vampires: Believable Myths and Unbelievable Facts from Medical Practice. Now he's working on a follow-up volume. Come listen to Dr. Hefferon as he explains how much folk wisdom about health is actually true.

This event will be held at the Isabel Turner branch on Thursday, February 8, at 7pm. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

Contact: Anne Hall, 613-549-8888, ext.3528, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 22 March 2017 13:56

Puppet extravaganza

The Sharbot Lake branch was puppet central last week as part of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library’s Puppet Show Extravaganza Tour Imagine.

Strega Nona (Grandmother Witch), the story of the endless Pasta pot that almost destroys the village when handled carelessly, was the first show that was performed for children who were off from school for spring break and the second play was The Monkey and the Crocodile. The show was performed at the Sydenham branch on Tuesday March 14, and in Sharbot Lake on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day.

Both shows were well received by area children and their caregivers, a treat for the March break.

Published in General Interest

Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2202 are jointly announcing a tentative agreement on the union's 2016 employment contract.

Minutes of settlement were signed by officials of both the Library and CUPE on Thursday afternoon.  No details of the deal are being released pending ratification by the Board and by CUPE members.

"This tentative agreement was reached after positive and productive discussions between the Library and CUPE," said Shelagh Quigley, Director of Human Resources and the Library Board’s lead on union negotiations. "We feel it reflects the needs of our staff and the Library as a whole."

"We feel it was a good negotiation and hopefully our members are pleased," said Lori O’Connor, President of CUPE Local 2202. "We will be recommending acceptance at our ratification meeting.”

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 01 June 2016 19:12

Parham Library branch opening

More politicians and library board members than you can shake a stick at were present at the official opening of the Parham branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library last Saturday morning, May 28.

Not only was County Warden (and Central Frontenac mayor) Frances Smith on hand, South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal and County Council rep John McDougall were on hand as well. They joined library board chair, Claudette Richardson and chief librarian, Patricia Enright, along with Parham residents and local librarian Glenda Young, and the small, clean, well-appointed and stocked space was packed to the rafters for the event.

The opening of the new branch reflects a compromise between the Township of Central Frontenac and the library board. The board was inclined to close the branch, which had been housed in a portable that was attached to the now closed Hinchinbrooke Public School. Central Frontenac wanted to keep the branch open and invested in an addition for the library when they approved the construction of a new Parham fire hall last year. A compromise was reached whereby the library board agreed to stock and staff the branch; but there is a catch.

For Parham residents it is a use it or lose it proposition. There is no hard and fast time frame, but the library will be tracking the use of the branch over the next year or so to see if the number of users and the materials taken out increase to a level where the branch remains viable. Library supporters in Parham are urging their neighbors to consider all that the branch offers.

(see article below by Nancy Benn)


The Parham library needs you

By Nancy Benn

(and when you read this you will know why you need the Parham Library)

Residents of Parham and the surrounding area are delighted that the library is back up and running, attached to the new fire hall on the Wagarville Road.

Regular library users are well aware of the services that a library provides. Book loans are obvious but many people do not realize that a library delivers far more than that.

If you are in the mood for movies, or any of the popular series (Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, Ray Donovan), then you will find thousands of titles to choose from. If you want to read from a list of over 200 popular magazines you can read them for free through Zinio. Hoopla allows you to download movies, television shows, music, audio and ebooks directly to your computer, tablet, or smart phone.

You can spend hours browsing through the extensive catalog while comfortably seated in your favourite chair at home. Order on line and you will be notified when the book or DVD has been delivered to the Parham library branch. You can use the free Internet service provided at the library, or look through the book and movie shelves. Watch anything from the very old to the most recent releases. And it will not cost you a cent.

The Parham Library needs to increase membership and usage and we are encouraging all of you to pop in for a visit. Get a library card from our librarian, Glenda Young, and then start to enjoy an incredible service.

Parham Library hours are 4 until 6pm on Tuesday; 6 until 8pm on Thursday; and 10am until 12 noon on Saturday. The Kingston Frontenac Public Library website address is www.kfpl.ca.

We need all Parham and nearby community members to recognize how lucky we are to have this type of entertainment right here on our doorstep, and we need you to show your support by getting a card and signing out some reading or viewing material. Once you start, we guarantee that you will be hooked.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 20 April 2016 20:54

Fair Vote Proportional Voting System

On Sat. April 23, the Kingston Frontenac Public Library will be hosting a talk about the Proportional Voting System at the Sydenham branch at 2 p.m. The talk will be given by Norm Hart of Fair Vote Canada

“Canada's current electoral system is based on the ‘first-past-the-post’ or ‘winner-takes-all’ system: each riding sends the candidate with the most votes to Ottawa and the party with the largest number of winning candidates forms the government,” says Programming and Outreach Librarian Anne Hall. “But whenever there are more than two parties running, the government will often be formed by a party with far less than 50 % of the total number of votes cast. One could argue that all the votes for the candidates who lost in each riding are lost or wasted.”

Fair Vote Canada believes there’s a better way: proportional voting, where everyone’s vote counts towards the end result, and the number of seats won by each party is proportional to the total number of votes cast. In the April 23 talk, Norm Hart will explain how proportional representation works.

Visit www.kfpl.ca or join the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/200020577041107/

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Many who have heard of the mind boggling capabilities of 3D printers had a chance to better understand the technology thanks to a public service offered by the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Derek Fenlon, a tech tutor with the KFPL's Central branch in Kingston, was in Sharbot Lake on January 9 sharing the wonders of the Ultimaker 2GO printer with patrons. “I want to show people the potential of 3D printing services that we offer with the hopes that they will utilize this service that is offered to all of our patrons.”

Patrons of the KFPL are being invited to find 3D designs for models online or, alternatively, they can use a number of free online design tools like Tinkercad to design their own 3D objects. These can in turn be emailed to the library’s main branch where tech staff will print the objects for a minimal materials fee and make them available for pick up at the patron’s own branch.

Fenlon said that patrons can also meet with techs at the library's main branch, who will assist them in designing their own objects for printing.

When I visited the Sharbot Lake library branch, Fenlon was explaining to visitors that the printer works by feeding a thin line of plastic filament through an extruder, which heats up the plastic to a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. Once the plastic has reached the proper temperature, the nozzle at the end of the extruder then moves rapidly and precisely back and forth, and left and right, building up tiny layers of the object. A small silver knight measuring about 2 inches in height, which was in the process of being printed, took the printer about two hours to print. Fenlon explained that the time required for printing depends not only on the size of the object but its density as well. For example, a seven-inch and considerably more dense skull of a T-REX that was on display took 12 hours to print.

Fenlon had brought other printed objects to show to patrons, included an intricate interlinking bracelet, a Terminator head, a rocket ship and a cookie cutter. He also had on display a reference book titled “High Tech DIY Projects for 3D Printing”, which introduces children and adults to the basics of 3D printing and shows them how they can create their own objects.

The technology has been around since the 1980s, and Fenlon said that over the years the printers have become less expensive and more streamlined, and eventually will likely be more affordable to average people. Fenlon himself designed and printed out a miniature replica of the iconic yellow submarine from the Wes Anderson film “The Life Aquatic”. Regarding practical applications of the technology, he said he helped one patron design two replacement knobs for his barbeque and another patron, an engineering student at Queen’s University, used the printer to print out a prototype for a surf board fin.

Fenlon said that 3D printing extends well beyond hobbyists and DIYers and spoke of edible food items and useable objects in wax and metal that are being made. Scientists are currently exploring the possibility of printing human organs using live cells. To date the technology has also been used to print skin grafts and to make prosthetics for amputees. Fenlon said that the technology is also currently being used by business people who use the hobby printers to make various saleable plastic objects and he also knows of full body scanners used in Walmarts in the US by customers who use the scans as the basis for designs.

The technology also lends itself to the need to create objects in remote locations, like in outer space or in the military, Fenlon said. However, regarding the issue of printing guns, Fenlon said that tech staff will refuse to print any dangerous or inappropriate objects.

Fenlon said that while many people have heard about 3D printing, that it is not until they see the printer and how it works that they begin to understand its potential. That proved true when one visitor to the Sharbot Lake branch, Bryan Biondi of Mississippi Station, wondered if Fenlon could create a cookie cutter in the shape of his beloved pet shepherds. Librarian Sara Carpenter quickly found silhouettes of the specific dog breed online, which Fenlon said could be used as the basis to create a design for such an item. “I have a lot of time on my hands”, Biondi said, “and I love to bake and I thought, wouldn't it be great to bake cookies in the shape of my dogs.”

For those who missed the presentation at Sharbot Lake, future presentations will take place at the Storrington branch on Thursday, January 21 from 6 - 8pm; the Hartington branch on Saturday, February 13 from 1 - 3pm, and in Sydenham on Saturday, February 27 from 11am –1pm. For more information about this service visit the KFPL's website at www.kfpl.ca or call 613-549-8888.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 13 January 2016 19:57

Parham library to be put on probation

Central Frontenac Council has received a letter from Kingston Frontenac Library Board Chair Claudette Richardson, which sets out the way the library sees the future of the Parham branch. The letter was based on a meeting held between Mayor Frances Smith and library staff and Board members on December 11.

Not only does the letter outline who will pay for what as the branch is set up in an extra room that was built into the new Parham fire hall, it also makes it clear that the branch will only stay open if it meets “performance benchmarks” set by the library board.

The township needs to provide not only the space but all furnishings and equipment as well, and will also be responsible for facility costs such as utilities, snow clearing and insurance.

The library will supply all computer equipment and related costs, and will cover the costs of Internet and phone service, library materials and staffing for six hours a week.

Richardson said that not only will the board set benchmarks that need to be met by Parham branch users, they will also set out a timeline for those benchmarks to be met. She said they would close the branch and transfer the hours to a new branch in Mountain Grove if those benchmarks are not met. The fact that a new branch in Mountain Grove has not yet been approved in any Central Frontenac budget is also referred to in the letter.

If the Mountain Grove branch is not built within the time frame specified, the Library Board will work with the township to determine the next steps,” Richardson wrote.

Finally, the letter gives the library board an option to remove service from Parham, perhaps even if the usage benchmarks are met.

The continued operation of the Parham branch will depend on the availability of resources and funding within the budget targets imposed by our funders,” said Richardson

At a meeting of Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday (January 12) Mayor Frances Smith said that the shelving that needs to be put in place will cost about $28,000 and that a drop box will cost another $3,000.

She said that the meeting that took place in December had been a good one, and that “the library board is really trying to establish a reasonable target for usage given the size of the community and other factors. We will be able to engage with them on the benchmark and our two county representatives on their board, John Purdon and Annie Peace-Fast, will play a role in monitoring how the library handles the matter.”

She added that it is a “beautiful space” that has been created for the library at the back of the new Parham fire hall.

I'm not convinced they haven't already made up their mind and are just stringing us along,” said Councilor Philip Smith.

Councilor Bill MacDonald said that in his recollection it was the Library that provided shelving when the branch in Sharbot Lake was upgraded in the 1990s.

When the Frontenac Public Library was originally established, each of the Frontenac townships committed to establishing a branch, and when four townships (Olden, Oso, Hinchinbrooke and Kennebec) amalgamated to form Central Frontenac, the new township inherited four branches.

The Kingston Frontenac Public Library, which was created after municipal amalgamation in 1998, has continued to provide staffing and library materials to the four branches, but in a report tabled in 2006, it was proposed that one larger branch in Sharbot Lake be built to replace all four existing branches.

Since then the Arden branch has been upgraded and is included in the long term plans of the library, and the existing Sharbot Lake branch has remained busy, but the status of the Parham and Mountain Grove branches has been precarious.

While the letter from board chair Richardson creates doubt about the continued viability of the Parham branch, the reference to supporting a “new facility in Mountain Grove” is the first sign of a long-term commitment to a third branch in Central Frontenac.

Mayor Smith said that if the Parham branch is forced to close, the new shelving can be used for an upgraded Mountain Grove facility.

The commitment to a branch in every former Frontenac Township was broken by the KFPL Board when they closed the Ompah branch in the former Palmerston - Canonto township five years ago.

A community group has established an independent library where the KFPL branch used to be located.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
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