Canadians across the country are paying attention to buying Canadian. They’re looking for Canadian flags on store shelves and seeking to ensure items are made in Canada whenever possible.

At the library we are hearing more requests for Canadian titles. We’ve always put Canadian flags on our books and in the weekly new books e-mail list to highlight these titles, and we’ll keep doing that.

If you are interested in reading Canadian, we will share a few suggested titles here and encourage you to drop into any branch of the Library to find many, many more.

A History of Canada in 10 Maps by Adam Shoalts is a fast-paced overview of Canada’s past through ten early written maps of the country (including times when European explorers got the map wrong). He brings his personal experiences as an explorer, scholar and archeologist to the book, and while he’s talking about the wilderness of Canada, it’s clear he has a deep respect for the country. Adam Shoalts spoke at the Picton Branch Library last year to a sold-out crowd and all of his books have stayed popular at the library since that time.

Bonny Reichert is a chef, award-winning Canadian journalist and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her father always asked her to commit his story to paper, a challenge she understandably found insurmountable. How do you tell the story of this kind of pain, loss and trauma? Eventually, his story became part of her memoir, How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love and Plenty. Through the lens of food, she deftly weaves together her father’s story with her own. Bonny Reichert will join us as part of the County Library’s Author’s Festival this April, with five other Canadian authors. Tickets will soon be available at peclibrary.org/festival.

And, three Canadian and County speculative fiction writers will join us at the Picton Branch on Saturday, March 29.

Mike Trites, a producer and director with Prince Edward Community Theatre, is organizing a fundraiser for the library featuring Thomas Harrison doing a live version of “The Swarm’s Creation”, his short story just published in Polar Borealis magazine. He will be joined by Fiona Patton, known for novels including The Shining City, Silver Lake, and The Granite Shield, and Tanya Huff who has a number of fantasy series including Vicki Nelson, Gale Women, and Keeper’s Chronicles. You’ll be able to buy your $10 tickets at peclibrary.org or at the door.

These are just a few of the many Canadian books you can find at your local library. Drop by any branch and we will help you discover more.

And, with the return of Daylight Savings Time, it’s now light out even when our branches are open in the evenings.

In 2025 each branch of the library added one night of the week when they are open until 6 p.m., with Bloomfield open until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

This provides the opportunity for people who work until 5 p.m. to stop in after work, and has created an opportunity for new library programs.

The Bloomfield Recreation Committee has arranged a crafting night alternating Tuesdays, bringing knitters, crafters and other creatives together to work on their projects from 5 – 7 p.m. It has developed into a friendly, productive evening for participants to share their progress with each other with some social time and we’re so grateful to the Recreation Committee for making it happen. If you’re interested in starting a book club at the Bloomfield Branch Library to read and discuss books by the authors who will be joining us, give us a call at (613) 393-3400.

The Ameliasburgh Branch Library is open until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and the Consecon and Milford Branches are open until 6 on Wednesdays. Drop in to browse, use the computers, and meet others, and access municipal services such as dog tags, burn permits and garbage bag tags.

The Picton Branch is open until 6 p.m. on Thursday. The Philosophy group, which is now reading and discussing “Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics” meets weekly at 5 p.m. on Thursdays. If you would like to join the next session of the philosophy group, call (613) 476-5962 or join the list at peclibrary.org. There are several meeting rooms in the Picton Branch, so opportunities for more groups still exist.

If you are interested in starting a new club, craft night or other group at any branch of the library, we would like to hear your suggestions. You can drop into your local branch of the Library to chat with your librarian or reach out to me by email at liz@peclibrary.org. Many of our most successful groups started with a suggestion from a library patron.

Prince Edward County offers six library branches with programs and services for everyone. Visit peclibrary.org to find upcoming events, the latest new books, and more.