I’ve learned some dazzling facts this past week. Boy bees have moustaches. Marigolds make a beautiful fabric dye. A bat can eat up to 1,000 small insects in an hour, making them the best insect repellent ever. Fairies prefer it if you leave the leaves for their pet caterpillars to hide in. I have one conclusion: nature is a marvel, and we are so fortunate to have it all around us.
Here at the library we celebrated our connection with nature through Climate Action Week on Nov. 2-8. This was an initiative of libraries across the country to raise awareness about climate change and share with their communities how libraries have a role to play in finding solutions. Libraries are great places to access climate-related information and resources, and connect people who are thinking about this topic. This year, we put all our events under the umbrella of the theme, “Connecting with Nature in Your Backyard.”
We kicked off Climate Action Week with a special Saturday Storytime where Jackie, our children’s services co-ordinator, read books about bear poo and fairy gardens. After there was a foraged craft table making windchimes out of materials found in our backyards. During the week, Jackie’s regular programming (Book Babes, Storytime, Crafternoon) continued the theme with books and songs about the small changes we can make to connect more with the green around us.
For the teens, Erin, our teen services co-ordinator, hosted a plant-dyeing workshop with textile artist Tracy Fillion (her label is We Are Stories), who brought in dried materials that she had grown in her own garden this summer. They learned how to dye natural fibres with local plants and each teen went home with a beautiful and unique silk bandana.
The adults got to have fun too. As the adult services co-ordinator, I hosted an event where there were stations set up with special guests to guide the exploration of four areas: bats, seeds, bees and the iNaturalist app, which can be used to identify local plants and animals in a citizen science portal. Special guests included the KinSeed Ecologies, Native Bee Society, Kootenay Bats and Paul Prappas, a local educator.
There was great joy marvelling at bees under the microscope (bees have five eyes!), and spirited debates over taxonomy (who knew taxonomy was such a spicy topic!). Overall, my impression of the evening was just how precious nature is, and I felt inspired by the small things we can do to take good care of the creation to which we are so connected.
For people of all ages, Lyndsay, our public services librarian, has created a Read for Seeds initiative where readers can exchange their reading credits to work towards building a seed library. Every book counts!
If you are interested in learning more about climate change action, our technical services librarian Heather Joy has put together a wealth of resources for you to dive into. Check out the “Climate Change Action” page on our website, featuring book lists for every age group, municipal and national resources, and relevant reports and tools. As well, take a look at our Strategic Framework 2023-2027, in which the library shares details on our commitment to sustainability as one of our five core values.
Learning dazzling facts is great fun, but it also helps us feel connected. The more we are connected, the more we feel empowered to be part of the solution in protecting all that is precious around us. Here at the library, we are going to hold on to the joy and wonder that can still be found in our own backyard.
Melodie Rae Storey is the adult services co-ordinator at the Nelson Public Library and spent her life worrying about bats getting caught in her hair but has since learned about echo-location! Check This Out runs monthly.
