Library helps you ‘pass’ the time in nature

There’s no question that school PA Days are public library days. School breaks provide the ideal opportunity for children and their grown ups to visit any of the library’s six branches, browse the collection and enjoy the toys and resources available.

On Friday, May 29, Sandbanks Provincial Park will join us at the Picton Branch Library from 10:30 am to 12:30 p.m. Drop in to learn more about the natural environment and the rich ecosystem at the park.

If the program inspires you to visit the Sandbanks or another park, you can borrow a Provincial Park pass from any branch of the Library. These passes are available to be checked out with your library membership, just like a library book, and can be used not only at nearby Sandbanks and North Beach, but also the hundreds of other Provincial Parks across the province.

While you’re traveling you may wish to “Borrow the Internet”. This is a small device that creates a wireless hotspot almost everywhere you go. It uses a cell phone signal so may not work well in particularly remote areas. You can reserve the device for specific dates or join a waiting list to get the next available device – ask at any branch of the library for more information and if you would like a one-on-one session to learn more about how to use the device, give us a call at (613) 476-5962.

The Library also has passes to Quinte Conservation Areas available to loan, and you can discover those beautiful natural spaces as well, including Macaulay Mountain, Little Bluff, Massassaga Point and more. You could even challenge yourself to visit each of the Conservation Areas and stay busy all summer.

Some of the passes come with kits including a metal detector, rock tumbler, bug scope, and more – plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors this summer. And of course the library has plenty of books on related topics like bird identification, insect information, and more.

While you are out exploring the nearby Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas, you may want to spend some time in, or on, the water. That’s where the life jackets, made available by the Quinte Regional Drowning Prevention Coalition can truly save the day. These life jackets, available in a variety of sizes, are stored at the Picton Branch and can be requested at any branch of the library. These are available for anyone to borrow with your library card, and in particular, we find they are frequently used by grandparents with visiting grandchildren who may not have child-size lifejackets available.

Last year, one grandmother remarked to me that, “We would buy a jacket, but next summer when the children visit, they will have outgrown them!”

The library is appreciative of Ontario Parks, Quinte Conservation, and the Quinte Regional Drowning Prevention Coalition for making these resources available for loan at the Library.