Alpha Library Learning Commons
a place to learn, discover, and connect
Every Friday at lunch the library is closed for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club to meet. Come on by if you’re curious about what the GSA is or how you can be involved. We are always happy to have new members!
Students enter for the meeting from the external library door.
Teen Summer Reading Club 2020!
Each summer Burnaby Public Library runs the Teen Summer Reading Club throughout June, July, and August. Teens entering grades 8 to 12 in September are eligible to participate.
In light of ongoing physical distancing, BPL has envisioned this year’s Teen Summer Reading Club as a fun virtual program, that engages readers of all ages with ideas for things to read or do. TSRC starts Friday, June 15!
Whatever your genre, read what you love, and don’t apologize for it!
1. Book picks and Bingo cards
Check out our weekly book picks and download our monthly Bingo cards to keep you busy all summer. These can be downloaded from our site and used to inspire your next read.?
2. Write Reviews!
Starting on June 15th, teens can participate in the Teen Summer Reading Club by writing reviews! This is a great opportunity for teens who love to write. Any book, movie, audiobook, graphic novel, or music album that is available at the library can be reviewed. Write three reviews and win a prize!
2. Art Poster Contest: Inclusion.
Create an eye-catching poster design to promote social justice and inclusion. Your poster should include a message that lets viewers know that the business they are entering is a safe space. We will select 3 posters to be printed and distributed at Burnaby Public Library and in various venues that choose to promote inclusion and acceptance.
Posters will be judged on original content and creativity, so show us what inclusion looks like to you!
Selected posters will win gift cards from Spotify, DeSerres Art Supplies, and Indigo books.
For more info on the Art Poster Contest look here.
Check out http://www.bpl.bc.ca/teen? for more information, or contact teenservices@bpl.bc.ca for questions.
The Online Canadian Encyclopedia Historica Canada, has decided to create a living archive during Covid-19. What does that mean? It means that they are collecting artifacts from Canadians to help future Historians understand this time in history better. They want to know what your experience looks like? Sounds like? Feels like?
@CanadaDuringCovid: A Living Archive invites Canadians to document their experiences and creations during this unprecedented time.
How do you participate? First, ask your parent or guardian if it’s okay for you to contribute something to the archive, as it will be visible online. Then it’s time to get creative!
All forms of submissions are welcome, including photographs, GIFS, TikTok videos, poetry, music, painting, drawing, or a written snippet about your day.
Become a part of this public archive by tagging @CanadaDuringCovid and using the hashtag #CanadaDuringCovid on Instagram. We will repost with credit.
Have a private account? Send a direct message! Don’t have an Instagram account? Email your submission to covidarchive@historicacanada.ca.
Byrne Creek Community School has come together to host an online panel centered on youth, in order to explore anti-racism and racial justice issues. The purpose of this event is to bring diverse students together, hear their voices, and celebrate their identities. The day will include three keynote speakers by discussion on how this pandemic affect them and the racism experiences around in the communities. This panel is hosted via Zoom on May 9, 2020.
The event is free , but you need to register here.
This week is Freedom to Read Week in Canada. It’s an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about their intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In other words, it’s a week to fight censorship. Come by the library to see our display which features many books that have been banned in Canada or the United States over the past 50+ years.
Or check out this list of books that have been challenged (someone has tried to ban them) either in a library or at a school. Many of the books on this list are now considered classics, like Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. How many have you read?
Interested in learning more? Visit the website here or come by the library this week to look at our display and check out a banned book.
Do you have books you’ve finished reading and don’t want anymore? Why not give them a second life by donating them to the Alpha Book Swap? The Book Swap will take place on December 18th at lunch. It’s a great time to find new books to read over the winter break, or you might even find a gift for someone special. All books at the swap will cost $1, or 1 ticket.You will receive 1 ticket for each book donated. Please see Ms. Haigh for more details.
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event in Canada, and aims to shed light on intellectual freedom. Every year books are challenged across Canada for various reasons, from sexually explicit content to obscenity, to religious viewpoint. To better understand how books get challenged you can check out the great infographic here.
Currently the library has a display of various books that have been banned somewhere in North America within the last 100 years. Take a look at the titles and you will notice a number of classics, many of which are taught in today’s English classes.
For more information about censorship in Canada and to see the list of 30 modern books that have been challenged visit the Freedom to Read website’s resource section.
