Library programming set for the summer season

Summertime in Westman region might be the time to heed the call of the great outdoors, but it’s also a good time for readers of all ages to step into the cool of the library and grab a book or get in on some fun programming through the Western Manitoba Regional Library.

Alex Rogowsky, manager of programming and community services at the Brandon Library, says daily programming for kids is underway with morning sessions for ages six to nine years and afternoons for ages nine and up. The sessions are drop-in, no registration required, and the library will supply all materials.

The ‘Learn’ program delves into science, math and engineering. ‘Create’ gets kids into painting, drawing and crafting. The ‘Build’‘ program lets them get “three-dimensional.”

“They might get a pile of Lego or a pile of cardboard pieces, or popsicle sticks, and then they are guided through building something with them,” Rogowsky said. “It’ll be both open-ended and guided. There are some kids who really like to just follow along and there are others who have something in mind that they want to build and they can do either.”

‘Thrive’ is another program offered, starting July 9.

“Thrive is a little bit special. It’s a program that we have been trained in, developed by an organization called Start to Finish,” he said. “The focus is on after-school literacy – so it’s reading but it’s also physical literacy and emotional literacy.”

Rogowsky says that each session explores an idea in a featured book. Physical literacy, for example, would include some simple, movement-based exercises. Emotional literacy would explore concepts of empathy and communication.

New on the calendar this summer is a drop-in art and craft time for adult patrons (16 years +) on Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Whether you’re working on some embroidery, knitting, sketch work, painting, or any other creative project, the library offers a friendly space to work and an opportunity to share what you are doing with others and socialize.

Reading is its own reward but the library is going to sweeten the pot with some prizes anyway. The summer reading program — which is available to all ages — is now open. Go to any regional branch and get a tracker booklet to track what you are reading. There’s one for July and one for August.

“Once they’re done filling it in, they bring that into the library. Readers get tickets for different milestones and how many pages they’ve read. Those tickets are entered into the draw,” he said.

The prizes are Lego sets, one prize for each category, children, teen, and adult, for each month at each branch.

“There’s a ton of Lego sets. They’re all nature-based sets, purchased from Toy Masters.”

It’s not too early to look ahead to the fall programming, already being planned. The violin program, funded by Dr. Lynn Whidden, will again provide an all-ages opportunity to learn about the instrument. Violins are loaned to participants.

“It’s massively successful, so it’s very possible that it will fill up from the waitlist. So that’s what we’ll be doing first. If there’s any space left over, then we would make an announcement that people can register,” Rogowsky said.

The creative writing program will relaunch in September and Rogowsky will take the lead as facilitator. Open to writers at any skill level, each participant is expected to both submit their writing for feedback from the group as well as provide feedback to the group. Any genre is welcome.

Rogowsky is especially committed to this program as he just submitted his first novel, a crime fiction titled Cold Front, to a publisher for consideration.

“I enjoy writing and I enjoy leading this group because I get feedback on my own writing and I know what the participants are going through,” he said. “Everyone is different. They’re all very well-read people, so the conversation is excellent and everyone’s got a project that they’re working on so there’s a lot of solidarity with that.”

The book club is set for go in September and Rogowsky says six to 10 participants seems to be the “sweet spot.”

“The library has a whole bunch of book club kits which can be signed out by anybody. Each kit has six copies of one book and a list of discussion questions. The group browses through those and chooses one for each month.”

Story Walk is on hiatus for this year as the library has commissioned a book for 2027.

“Previously, we had to get rights from a publisher and negotiate what we could do with it. We have an author and an illustrator creating our own Story Walk and we’ll be able to use that wherever we want, for however long we want,” Rogowsky said.

The rough draft, written by Manitoba author Rachael Clark (rachaelclarkewrites.com) is currently being illustrated by Merissa Mayhew (merissa.art). The story centres on a boy and his family moving to Western Manitoba.

A dedicated exterior entryway on Rosser Avenue is being added to the library with an expected fall completion date. Currently, when providing after-hours programming, the library must ensure the Town Centre is unlocked and monitored. That issue will be resolved.

And finally, library patrons with questions about any programming as well as specific times and dates are strongly encouraged to reach out.

“For any of these programs we’re talking about, people can always email programs@wmrl.ca and watch our social media,” Rogowski said.

“We can take their name down if they’re interested in something that’s not open for registration yet and we can answer any questions about our programs.”

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