Article content
Windsor Public Library hammered home its “more than books” motto Wednesday by shining a light on its home DIY and tool collection.
Article content
“Shelf improvement,” the second phase of the library’s 2022 Off The Shelf campaign, kicked off with a friendly birdhouse building competition between Ward 3 Coun. Rino Bortolin, library board chair, and Ward 10 Coun. Jim Morrison, board member, at Budimir Branch — all in an effort to showcase the tool lending library and hands-on project resources.
Sponsored by Lowes, tools from the tool lending library can be checked out the same way as books and DVDs. In addition, the library has do-it-yourself resources with detailed instructions and tips for all manner of home projects. Tools will be housed at the Forest Glade, Muir, and Seminole Branches and must be checked out and returned to their home location.
Tools available vary between the three branches but include cordless drills, impact drivers, a metal sawhorse, mini circular saws, mini shop-vacs, mouse sanders, plunge routers, reciprocating saw, toolboxes with basic hand tools, and a wrench set.
Article content
In January, the Windsor Public Library Off the Shelf campaign began with a focus on the library’s collection of over 26,000 audiobooks and their role in improving reading skills and comprehension. Audiobooks can be downloaded for free and listened to anywhere.
The campaign will continue throughout 2022, with the library highlighting various non-book resources — tools, audiobooks, digital music, databases, newspapers and magazines, movies and videos — in two-month intervals.
“These education and entertainment options are unavailable elsewhere free-of-charge and provide a fabulous opportunity to build a strong connection with our customers,” said library CEO Kitty Pope. “We want super busy parents to choose WPL as their primary destination for movies and we want seniors to know we have an extensive collection of newspapers and magazines for them, all free, to access from home.”
Article content
-
Use of Windsor Public Library branches remains high despite pandemic
-
Windsor Public Library to buy new $600K bookmobile with surplus from branch reindeer
-
Project Sunflower sprouts up in Windsor to ‘inspire peace’ in Ukraine
Other campaign themes include “shelf awareness, treat your shelf, shelf help and shelf indulgence,” the library said. They will highlight newspapers and magazines, summer entertainment for children, personal growth and self-help resources, and assistance in getting ready for the holidays.
More than 45 per cent of Windsor residents — 98,944 — have active library cards. In 2021, more than 1,238,000 items were checked out from Windsor Public Library branches, an increase of 7.6 per cent over the previous year.
A recent local private $10,000 donation recently made to the library will fund the purchase of Ukrainian resources and materials, primarily for children, in anticipation of an influx of refugees expected to arrive in the coming weeks and months.
