International Collection
The international collection at Medicine Hat Public Library is home to fiction and non-fiction books in 21 different languages:
French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Urdu, Czech, Russian, Croatian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Vietnamese, Punjabi
The books are part of the Alberta Multilingual Book Collection (AMBC). and the titles are switched out with new ones every 6 months. In addition to the 21 languages available at MHPL, books in the following languages can be brought in upon request:
Albanian, Bosnian, Farsi, Finnish, Gaelic, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Norwegian, Slovakian, Swedish, Tagalog
Books may be borrowed for 3 weeks at a time by anyone with a valid library membership.
Medicine Hat News on microfilm
November 5, 1885. That’s the day that The Medicine Hat Times of Medicine Hat, N.W.T. began publication. Each issue of the Times (now the Medicine Hat News) through to September 2009 has been copied onto microfilm and is located on the library’s lower level. You can read, print, scan and save articles that you find in the Medicine Hat News on microfilm. Stop by the Reference Desk and ask a staff member to get you started. The Medicine Hat News is a great resource for genealogical research, to help commemorate birthdays and anniversaries, and for countless other projects. Do you know what the headlines were on the day you were born, which movies were playing at the Monarch Theatre, or how much a loaf of bread cost? There’s only one way to find out! If you want to scan and save the articles you find, we suggest that you bring a memory stick.
All this for $5 a year…
One of the things we are most proud of at MHPL is the low, low cost of membership. Children and teens are free while adults only pay $5/year for membership. This great deal includes programs and services including access to books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, newspapers, e-books, e-audiobooks, internet and much much more. In the annual report we worked this out to mean every member saved over $1200 a year by belonging to the library (compared to purchasing materials personally). This works out to over 12 million dollars saved by the citizens of Medicine Hat!
All for only $5 a year.
Friday Morning Drop-In Storytime
Do you and your preschooler need some fun on a Friday morning?
Well we have the solution!
Every Friday morning at 10:30 we have a drop-in storytime for 3-6 year olds! Come join Pauline or Andrew or John… (oh my!) for stories, songs, rhymes, bells, whistles and so much more!
Pauline or...
Andrew or...
John! Oh My!
Monday Night at the Movies
Monday Night at the Movies is a branch of the Friends of the Library, and this group of film lovers has been bringing great films to Medicine Hat — and to MHPL – for over ten years. MNATM works in partnership with the Film Circuit of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The films are shown on the third Monday of each month, and now that the Monarch Theatre has re-opened we are able to make use of this great venue. Single tickets can be purchased at the door for $8 – $7 for seniors and students. 4-passes can be purchased at the Information desk of the library for $26, and these can be used in any combination (e.g. two people to see two films). Films start at 7:30.
Ticket revenue and funding from our sponsors enables us to pay for site licenses so that MHPL can show free films (see the MHPL program brochure to see this month’s films in the “Thursday Afternoon Classics” / “Thursday Night Flicks” / “Saturday Matinees” and “Family Fun Flicks” series). The group also supports the library through equipment and software purchases, funding additions to the DVD collection, etc.
In past years MNATM has put on a film festival during the winter, but recently they’ve decided to try something different, and will have special showings of films by Western Canadian filmmakers instead.
The next film will be Exit Throught the Gift Shop, this coming Monday, October 18 (it’s Election Day, but you should still be able to fit in both voting and movie-going). For more information on the film, go to the MNATM web site.
If you’d like to receive regular e-mail updates and reminders about MNATM films and special events, send an e-mail message to mhfilmgroup@shaw.ca
NoveList
NoveList is an online reader’s advisory tool that can be accessed from the library or from home with a valid library membership. NoveList makes it easy to find that next good read: simply describe what you’re interested in reading about (e.g. realistic fiction, women in 1930s Japan, abandoned children, etc.) and NoveList will give you a list of books that match your interests.
Some other resources available through NoveList include author biographies, “readalikes” (enter a favourite author to discover similar writers), series listings, reviews, and discussion guides for book groups.
You can access NoveList at the library or by following this link, clicking the house icon next to “NoveList @ EBSCO” and entering your 14-digit library card number and PIN number.
ConsumerReports.org
Medicine Hat Public Library (through the Shortgrass Regional Library System) now subscribes to ConsumerReports.org, the online version of the popular magazine. You won’t want to go shopping without first consulting its independent and expert reviews. Search for information on particular products or browse your way to ratings and reviews of
- Cars
- Appliances
- Electronics
- Home and garden products
- Products for babies and children
- Financial products
- Food, and more
In addition to the latest ratings, you’ll find lists and descriptions of recommended products and buying advice with helpful video clips. You can even buy reviewed products through the ConsumerReports.org website. If you simply want to read the latest issue of Consumer Reports magazine, you can do that too.
To get 24/7 access to ConsumerReports.org, start with a current library card and PIN. (If you don’t know your PIN or want to change it, stop by the Information Desk on the main floor with your library card or some identification. You can renew your library card there too.) Next, visit the library’s website at http://mhpl.info. On the left side of the screen under Library Links, click on the ConsumerReports.org button. Finally, type in the 14-digit number on your library card followed by your PIN. Happy shopping!
The “Who Picked This Book” Book Club
After many requests for a book club, the library has finally begun our very own book club! The ‘Who Picked This Book?’ Book Club promises stimulating discussion on a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction titles. The format will be drop-in and there’s no need to register: come to as many or as few discussions as you like. Book club meetings will be held in the Honor Currie Room at 7pm on the second Wednesday of each month.
Tonight, October 13th, is the very first Book Club meeting with a discussion of the book A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy’s mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn’t believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God’s instrument. What happens to Owen, after that 1953 foul ball, is extraordinary and terrifying.
Come and join in the discussion. Refreshments will be served.
New E-Books and Downloadable Audiobooks
As of this past summer, e-books and e-audiobooks are available for download at MHPL. Of couse, you’ll require a current library card and a P.I.N. number to download them. The presentation below provides a quick overview on how to get to the catalogue of items on the Library to Go site, how to get help, and how to keep track of the many new items that are added to the catalogue on a weekly basis.
How to get better search results (sometimes)
Today we’re presenting a “power user” tip that will help you to get better results when you search our online catalogue.
To see the slides in full screen mode (recommended) select the Menu button at the bottom left and choose View Full Screen.
