Tag Archives: Carnegie
Powell River beckons
Today was a fantastic day to be a librarian. I went to the monthly Leadership Team meeting and felt a strange confidence in sharing thoughts around vigilance in keeping our patrons alert in light of overdose (there is a dilemma whether Librarians should actually administer Naloxone vs. the implications on the City if things go […]
A Day in the Life – 1930s Librarians
Today I was asked to provide a “day in the life” of being the Branch Head librarian at the Carnegie for a library journal. There are certain stereotypes of the librarian’s role that many still harbor, but in an urban library today I’m sure most would be surprised. For example, roving the library to make […]
Sweetgrass, Incense and Reconciliation
A few Sundays ago, in anticipation of the Reconciliation Walk my pastor, Ken Shigematsu spoke with humility, wisdom and compassion, asking for forgiveness from those affected by Residential Schooling and the repercussions of colonialism, on behalf of the Christian church. It is so embarrassing and baffling to know that so-called “Christian” people, with not an ounce […]
Spirit of Dorothy Day
I’m reading a book called Dorothy Day: the World will be Saved by Beauty (an intimate portrait of my grandmother (2017) by Kate Hennessy. It gives a pretty gritty perspective of the highs and lows of the Catholic Worker movement in New York during the 1930s and onward, and the struggles that happened in particular between […]
A Day – March 30, 2017 at the Carnegie
My bicycle was being repaired since I had stretched out the chain, worn out the sprocket to little nubs, and no longer had responsive braking. It had to be done. Fortunately the weather had a surprise breakthrough with the sun coming out, so I was happy to walk to work. It was a day like […]
Dream weaver
I don’t know what it is about Fridays. I came home from work late yesterday, choked up, and without my cherished hand-woven socks. Scott knows the full story, but essentially I had my heart broken after spending time with a young woman at the library. Aboriginal, alone, from Manitoba, possibly pregnant, and a painful experience […]
Tallulah and the Favourite Angel
He stood like a statue in front of the check-out counter. His eyes were completely glazed over and he was obviously enraptured with something, or someone, muttering incoherent thoughts. The other library patrons, while used to the strange and the mentally ill, were shifting in their creaky wood chairs and were evidently becoming uncomfortable. I […]
A Christmas Miracle with Stevie Nicks
I’m mindful when I speak or write about Christmas and the holidays, as it can be a really difficult time for many people, especially folks who feel rejected from their family, alienated from society, and are simply struggling to survive. While really wonderful Christmas memories in wintery Owen Sound, Ontario dominate my mind from childhood, […]
Recovery and Renovation
My old library (it’s 113 years old!) is struggling this week. Over the two years I’ve worked there we’ve always had random issues with leaks in the ceilings, especially coming through the rusty sprinkler heads. The source is mysterious, and now we realize there are multiple channels. It was obvious that when the grease trap […]
Storming the daily divide
After being immersed in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, in awe of gushing waterfalls, forests, elk, and mountains, the rawness of Main & Hastings and returning to work last week at the Carnegie Library was euphoric, inspiring and jarring. On my first day back, Jean Swanson (a Downtown Eastside advocate, activist and legacy, now […]
Gasoline Gypsy 