This is part of a regular series of posts by our CEO, Cathy Grant, who will share some personal insight and comments about your Library, upcoming services and issues in general.

Adults Need Strong Literacy Skills

…to raise children who have strong literacy skills.

Learning to read begins long before a child enters school. It begins when parents read to their children, buy their children books, and encourage their children to read. The research is clear: parents who are poor readers don’t read as often to their children as do parents who are strong readers; children who are not read to enter school less prepared for learning to read than other children.

Read more.

London, Ontario-based Emma Donoghue has been shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize for her novel Room. She is amongst five other authors whose work were described by Chair
and former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, as "We feel sure we've chosen books which demonstrate a rich variety of styles and themes - while in every case providing deep individual pleasures."

City of Pickering is working with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), to offer access to AboutMyProperty at the library at no charge to property taxpayers, primarily those who do not have high speed Internet access at home.

Starting Tuesday, September 7th, iPod Audiobooks will now be available from the Petticoat Creek Branch. Hundreds of fiction and non-fiction titles will be available on library owned iPods that can be borrowed like any other library item OR you can bring in your own iPod and have staff download audiobooks directly to your device.

DURHAM REGION, ONTARIO, AUGUST 17, 2010 – On Saturday, September 11, 2010, The Writers’ Community of Durham Region (WCDR) will kick off the fall season with an exciting breakfast meeting in a new location. The meeting will take place from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. at The Octaviens Banquet & Conference Centre, which is located within the Best Western Durham Hotel, off Highway 401 at Stevenson Road in Oshawa. The featured speaker will be Neil Crone. Registrations are already pouring in for what promises to be a rollicking good time as the well-loved actor and freelance writer shares advice on humour writing.

Pickering Public Library would like to thank everyone who came out to visit with the great people from the Durham Avicultural Society and Zoo To You. Our Petticoat Creek Branch and Central Library were filled with the flutter of birds and the delight of children, Monday August 9th and Friday August 13th, courtesy of the Durham Avicultural Society.

Then on Wednesday August 18th, the Zoo To You brought snakes, lizards and frogs came out meet new friends at Central Library.

Evan meets a new friend at Central Library

Justine checks out a tortoise

Ella and a chincilla