Headline News

Three townships, one book

April 16, 2015

Bancroft Mayor Bernice Jenkins, Hastings Highlands Mayor Vivian Bloom, and Carlow-Mayo Reeve Bonnie Adams attend the Tri County Reads “kick-off” at the Hastings Highlands Public Library on Aprilz 11 in support of their municipal libraries program.
/JIM EADIE Special to This Week
By Jim Eadie, Special to This Week
The Tri-County Reads project, which includes Bancroft, Carlow-Mayo and Hastings Highlands public libraries are suggesting a very good book to read for this spring, and for two very good reasons.
First, their suggestion: Deafening by Francis Itani is an exciting historical novel based in the town of Deseronto and the Belleville area.
“It is an unusual First World War story, told through the eyes of a deaf woman named Grania,” said Vanessa Holm, CEO of the Bancroft Public Library. “This book has won an number of national and international awards, and is poignant, powerful, and very enjoyable.”
The book is available at local libraries, and is also offered at a discount by Ashlie’s Books in Bancoft.
In addition to being a Canadian must read book, the libraries are offering a further incentive. The Tri County Reads project has chosen it for their community challenge created to promote reading by adults, and to build new connections in the community through the shared experience of reading.
This is not the first collaboration by the three northern municipal libraries, and not likely to be the last.
During the next few months the libraries will be offering events related in some way to the book, where readers can come together to share the story, and explore their own communities.
“We expect to have a series of meetings in the spirit of a book club; an historical meeting of those interested in the First World War events, including the display of the Bancroft Public Library’s historical special collection; and a panel on hearing, listening and alternative communication for young children, where we will discuss how materials available at the Bancroft Library … including out signing DVDs and books … can be incorporated into daily activity to teach children about communication,” said Holm.
The local project is modeled on the One Book, One Community concept were the objective is to draw communities together by reading, discussing and celebrating one book; to encourage enjoyable adult reading, and encourage small community building.
The three heads of the municipal councils collaborating on this project, Bancroft Mayor Bernice Jenkins, Hastings Highlands Mayor Vivian Bloom, and Carlow-Mayo Reeve Bonnie Adams along with several dozen library staff and community members attended the project kick-off party at the Hastings Highlands Public Library on April 11. All three profess to be ardent readers; in fact Adams has already started reading the book.
“I was almost late for this event,” admitted Jenkins. “I had picked up a book I was reading when suddenly I realized ….. I gotta go!”
Bloom noted the importance of their library to their municipality. Her office is just down the hall from the library, and she notes on a daily basis the people coming and going with their children. All three expressed the importance of their libraries, and the need to collaborate to make sure good programs such as this can happen to enrich their communities.
For further information visit the website: www.bancroftpublic library.ca