The library has launched a survey on Engage Gravenhurst. The library is asking people to share their views on library services.

“We are asking the public to fill out our survey to help determine the future direction of the library,” said Julia Reinhart, chief executive officer of the Gravenhurst Public Library. “The feedback will help us establish our new strategic plan.”

Community engagement is key to ensuring the library is on the right track, she said.

“What makes the library an extraordinary place is its ability to evolve with the community it serves,” Reinhart said. “Survey results will help shape the goals in our upcoming strategic plan and serve as a way to guide our work.”

She noted they hope to get input from as many people as possible, including individuals who aren’t regular library users.

“We hope those who haven’t used the library since their children were in school, or since they were children themselves, will take this opportunity to consider what else the library could do for them. The survey gives everyone a chance to weigh in and share their ideas to make Gravenhurst Library their library,” Reinhart said.

Seth Martin, Gravenhurst Public Library Board Strategic Plan Committee chair, echoed Reinhart’s remarks.

“We’re looking to find out what library services matter most to the community and what we are missing,” Martin said. “Above all, the library is a community space and open to everyone, this means we need the feedback, suggestions, and input from the people who are in the community. We want to know why they use the library and love coming, but we also need to know why they are not using the library and how we can better suit their needs.”

The survey will run until Sept. 30, 2023.

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Local historian and Archives Chair, Judy Humphries, will be providing an hour-long presentation which focuses on some of the Gravenhurst citizen soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War of 1914-1918. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. People can come to the library, watch at home by Zoom, or watch later on YouTube.

“We are honoured once again to have Judy sharing local history at the library. We love being able to collaborate with the Archives to bring many different pieces of Gravenhurst’s history to the community. The presentations are always very well attended, whether they are in person or virtual. Gravenhurst has a very rich history that includes much more than just the Prisoner of War (POW) camp, or the lumber mills. We love having the opportunity to share a glimpse into Gravenhurst’s past,” said Julia Reinhart, Chief Librarian.

“The young men who were born in Gravenhurst and left their homes and families to go to war were Citizen Soldiers; that is, they were not ‘professional’ soldiers who were part of the military. Instead, these young men were regular citizens like you and me – farmers, factory workers, labourers, teachers, doctors. They signed up to go without any real sense of where they were going or what they would face. That, in itself, is bravery,” said Judy Humphries.

The public are invited to register for the event online at: https://calendar.gravenhurst.ca/default/Register/2022-11-08-1900-War-and-Remembrance or call the Library at 705-687-3382.

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“We are so thrilled to bring this event to the library. We have four amazing speakers lined up for this information session. They all work for Riot Games and are a perfect mix of the types of careers that are available to anyone who would like to pursue a job in this field,” said Sarah Petryshyn, Collections and Digital Literacy Librarian.

“This session is a special event for the library to offer the chance for the community to interact with people who they might otherwise not have the opportunity to do so. I love games, so this event is one that I’m particularly excited for. I think it will open up the world of gaming for teens or anyone who is interested in learning about gaming careers in this growing industry,” added Petryshyn.

This is a free virtual event. Participants are asked to register in advance by calling the library at 705-687-3382 or registering through the library’s website (www.gravenhurstlibrary.com). An in-person screening will be available at the library for those who do not have internet access.

Those hoping to attend are encouraged to send questions in advance to sarah.petryshyn@gravenhurst.ca or call 705-687-3382.

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“We are delighted to bring J. Patrick Boyer to our Library. Muskoka authors hold a special place in the heart of the GPL and the community, and we love being able to offer in person author events once again. We are really looking forward to this event,” said Julia Reinhart, Library Chief Executive Officer and Chief Librarian.

Patrick combines a keen interest in history with his own seasoning as a printer, lawyer, university professor, Member of Parliament, journalist, television host and book publisher to write a modern history of Muskoka. He is a fourth generation Muskokan whose ancestors arrived in the district pre-Confederation as pioneer settlers.

“Muskoka’s unique development is richly displayed in the twists and turns in how the place was mapped,” said Boyer. “This saga of unexpected events involves Indigenous people, famous explorers, vengeance and bungling, perfect timing, confused land policies, advancing technologies, and exceptional good luck. In fact, the quest for putting Muskoka on the map is raw material for a compelling television series,” Boyer added.

Patrick will have books available for sale the night of his presentation. Signed books can be purchased for $29.99. To learn more about J. Patrick Boyer you can visit his website at  https://www.patrickboyer.ca/.

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The GPL Board believe that each and every member of our community should be able to use the Library freely and fully with dignity and without fear of overdue fines, regardless of their financial status. They identified that fines were preventing some members of the community from accessing library services. Either people would stop using the library after accumulating overdue fines or they wouldn’t renew their membership because of past overdue fines.

You still need to return your library items as soon as you can so others may use them. Library collections are a resource that we share as a community in Gravenhurst. If items are not returned after a period of time or are lost or damaged, replacement charges will still apply. The GPL Board has also implemented a short term two-month amnesty on long overdue items so that people can get these back to the Library. We will continue to send reminder notifications about due dates with emails and phone calls.

“We have been talking about going fine free for some time now and are so excited to offer this to our patrons and the community of Gravenhurst. We understand that sometimes life gets in the way and we don’t want overdue fines to keep people from using all the great Library resources and services that are available to everyone” said GPL Chair Dave Hammill. Julia Reinhart, CEO / Chief Librarian further added “The GPL Board felt there was no better way to celebrate the season of giving than with a clean slate and no fines going forward”.

If people have any issues accessing their accounts online please call the Library at 705-687-3382.

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