Elementary School Art Display at the Library

Librarian Alanna Carswell stands in front of a section of the Shellbrook Elementary School ”Ted Harrison” exhibition featuring works by the Grade 2 and Grades 4 and 5.

The Shellbrook Public Library is offering Travel Night: Hawaii and its second evening genealogy session. It also invites you to come see the art on display and shop through the books available in the Annual Summer Book Sale.

The Library is looking forward to an exciting opportunity to expand its knowledge about Hawaii on Wednesday, June 10th at 7:00 pm. Journey with Cheryl Tieszen as she provides an “armchair” tour of the isolated volcanic archipelago in the Central Pacific.

On Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 pm, Nancy Carswell will guide buddying genealogists through the second session of Genealogy 101. In the first session in May, instruction focused on forms and how to enter data into a genealogy program. This second session will be about going beyond you in two popular genealogy databases, FamilySearch.org (free at home) and Ancestry Library Editions (in-library only). Bring your own hotspots and wireless devices! Library computers are limited.

The Library is home to the Shellbrook Elementary School art exhibition “Ted Harrison” until the third week in June. On display is a collection of small individual pieces by the Grade 2 and larger collaborative canvases by the Grades 4 and 5 that explore the art style of the late Ted Harrison who is considered one of Canada’s most prominent artists. “In a Harrison painting a lake may be orange, a moose blue, and a sky a rainbow of reds. Uncluttered and vibrantly coloured, Harrison's style is distinctive. Tiny creatures—dogs, ravens, and people in colourful parkas—are set against an overwhelming expanse of land, mountains, sea, and sky.” In addition to his work as a painter, Harrison has written several children’s books and illustrated both “The Cremation of Sam McGee” and “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” by Robert Service.

With the start of June the Annual Summer Book Sale has also begun and it will wrap up on July 1st. There are some great summer reads to discover amongst the variety of gently used adult fiction and non-fiction, young adult, juvenile and children’s books. Also available are various computer paraphernalia, a TV, a VCR player, and wire book spinners. The price is totally reasonable—a good will donation to the Library. The Library is also accepting donations for the sale.

Shellbrook Library Visits Hawaii

The Shellbrook Public Library invites you for an exciting Travel Night to the tropical islands of Hawaii.

The Library is looking forward to an exciting opportunity to expand its knowl- edge about Hawaii on Wednesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. Journey with Cheryl Tieszen as she provides an “armchair” tour of the isolated volcanic archipelago in the Central Pacific.

Author Nettie Balzer Returns to Shellbrook Public Library

Nettie Balzer, author of Helena: a Peek into the Past and Raising Eight on 80.

The Shellbrook Public Library welcomes back Nettie Balzer, who was a former resident of Shellbrook, on Tuesday, May 26th at 7:00 pm.

Balzer visited the Library in 2013 to promote her first book about her mother’s life entitled Helena: A Peek into the Past which chronicled Helena’s first forty-one years. Balzer now returns to the Library with a sequel on her mother’s life, entitled Raising Eight on 80.

Helena Banman, the oldest of eleven children, was born on August 22, 1898 in the Mennonite Village of Kleefeld, located on the West Reserve in southern Manitoba. Her parents, Julius and Helena, were poverty stricken immigrants from Russia so the children were farmed out to work for others in order to help out financially.

Helena married Jacob Friesen on May 27, 1919. Helena and Jacob are forced to employ every ounce of resourcefulness to raise seven children on 160 stony acres of Canadian prairie. Then their eighth child is born, half of their land is chosen for an Aerodrome to train pilots for World War II, and the Dirty Thirties continue into the ’40s. Helena applies her creativity and Jacob his ingenuity, and the children roll up their sleeves and pitch in, sometimes with humorous outcomes.

Raising Eight on 80 is a series of short stories based on actual events and memories of the Friesen family. Copies of Helena: A Peek into the Past will be available for $20.00 and “Raising Eight on 80” for $25.00. Refreshments will be provided.

Library Offers Genealogy 101

The Shellbrook Public Library is offering two evening genealogy sessions at 7 pm on Wednesday May 20 and Wednesday June 16.

"The typical advice to beginners is start with you," explains Librarian Alanna Carswell, "but that is just the where. At the first session, we will focus on how you start with yourself on paper with standard genealogy forms and then show how you would enter that data into a genealogy program. The second session will focus on going beyond you in two popular genealogy databases, Family Search and Ancestry. My mom, Nancy Carswell, who is a member of the Prince Albert Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society will be presenting."

Wednesday afternoons the Library has a family history focus where people are encouraged to come in and take advantage of the in-library only subscription to Ancestry.com. Carswell says, "Of course, Ancestry is available every day at the library but I'm finding people appreciate having a special day. Because I do family history myself, I have had success in helping others understand how to use the online databases."

The Library Visits Cuba

Cliff and Glenda Chutskoff sitting down to a meal in Cuba.

The Shellbrook Public Library invites you for an exciting Travel Night to the tropical country of Cuba.

The Library is looking forward to a remarkable opportunity to expand its knowledge about Cuba on Tuesday, April 14th at 7:00 pm. Journey with Cliff and Glenda Chutskoff as they provide an “armchair” tour of Canada’s special Caribbean neighbor. The Chutskoff’s will share the history of the island and their experiences from their four visits to Cuba.

Author Deana Driver Returning to the Shellbrook Public Library

The Shellbrook Public Library welcomes back Deana Driver, an author and publisher from Regina.

On Friday, March 13th at 6:00 pm the Library will be hosting Deana Driver. Driver has authored “The Sailor and the Christmas Trees” about Manitoba’s John Hanlon and his Christmas gift to fellow sailors and little English children during the Second World War. She has also written, “Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner’s Story of Hope,” the story of seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner.

In 2010 Driver partnered with her husband Al to create DriverWorks Ink, a publishing company that works on publishing stories of fascinating prairie people, unsung Canadian heroes, and humour.
“Deana is passionate about the books they publish and after she’d speak to us about a book, my immediate thought was ‘I want that for our Library collection,’” said Librarian Alanna Carswell about Driver’s previous visit in 2013. “So I am thrilled to have the Drivers return and to hear about the new books they’ve published.”

Three of the DriverWorks Ink newest books received awards at the 2014 Great Midwest Book Festival: “After the Truck Hit: Jennifer Kuchinka's True Story” a novel by Jennifer Kuchinka; “Gina's Wheels” a children’s picture book by Mary Harelkin Bishop and illustrated by Diane L. Greenhorn; and “Homegrown and other poems” by cowboy poet Bryce Burnett.

Books will be available for purchase, priced from $10.00 to $20.00 dollars depending on the book. E-books are also available for purchase for multiple vendors from the driverworks.ca website. Refreshments will be served at the event.

Shellbrook Public Library News

The Shellbrook Public Library invites you to come see the collection of textiles on display and to take advantage of some upcoming programs; we will be hosting “Storybird for Kids” on February 17th and “Namibia Travel Night” on March 3rd. The Library would also like to remind parents, grandparents, and other young children watchers that Children’s Story Time has resumed.

The Library is proudly showing off “Domestic Textiles of the Last Century” collected by Joan Sommerfeld. The collection of tablecloths and aprons show the changes of the last decades, and not just as one might think of going from hand sewing to machine sewing. Come see how the decorate emphasis has changed in textiles, from the intricate hand embroidery white-on-white formal tablecloths, to the brightly coloured and highly patterned fabrics, and now cycling back to times past. The collection will remain on display until the end of February.

On Tuesday, February 17th at 4:00 pm kids ages 6 to 13 are welcome to the Library to create, read, and share visual stories using Storybird. In a nutshell, Storybird is an online website that lets you write short, art-inspired stories that you read like books, play like games, or can send like greeting cards. They're curiously fun. Registration is required for the program and can be done via phoning 306-747-3419 or emailing shbrcirc@wapitilibrary.ca. The storybooks written and printed by participants should be available for pick-up at the Library on February 24th.

On Tuesday March 3rd at 7:00 pm Nancy Carswell is looking forward to repeating her "armchair" tour of Namibia where she spent four months working as an international consultant on an eLearning project. "I learn new things whenever I talk about Namibia, so although I'll be presenting the same groups of slides, My Northern Wedding, Etosha National Park Wildlife, and the Namib Desert, I hope that each presentation is an improvement over the last." Tastes of Africa will be included in the refreshments.

Children’s Story Time is held on Fridays at 10:30 am. We welcome all comers, old and new and are sure you will have fun listening to good stories and making fun crafts. This year’s theme is Serendipity so come and discover what surprises are springing from the craft box.