Meet Wordsworth, the one tonne guardian owl of The Beaches Public Library here in Toronto. I took the above snap of Wordsworth on my way home yesterday from an inspiring two-day meeting of The Association of Canadian Publishers. This year’s winter meeting brought together the brightest and the best in Canadian publishing, where many issues relevant to the vitality of our industry were discussed, debated and next steps decided upon. I have written here before about the many challenges and opportunities that face the publishing industry as technology continues to impact reading habits. Everything from the crazy diversity of devices, the value of content, right through to what we should now call “the book.” What I admire most about the membership of the ACP is their entrepreneurial spirit in the face of a sea change in a rapidly evolving industry. Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than our continued partnership with local libraries and the recognition of the valued role libraries play as virtual and live recommendation engines for the discovery of new authors, titles and ideas.

The last session in our two-day meeting brought together three passionate representatives from The Vancouver Public Library, The Ottawa Public Library and the Toronto Public Library, who spoke about the variety of ways in which they help support the Canadian publishing industry through their creative programs and community out reach. I was astounded by the depth and breadth of services these libraries provide their local community, and I was inspired by the creative ways each library engages their community in the joy of reading. For example, The Vancouver Public Library hosts a virtual Reader’s Cafe where staff recommend new and upcoming reads, provide compelling book reviews, and highlight author visits. The library itself has become a hub for author talks, book clubs and much more.  The Ottawa Public Library hosts insightful staff recommendations and book blogs and not unlike the Vancouver Public Library, has developed a smart phone app to help patrons discover new books, rate them, and locate where each book can be found in the system of libraries across the city. And my hometown library system, The Toronto Public Library, is famous for hosting free author talks and lectures, while also assisting the local community as a hub for supporting new Canadians, Adult Education and much more.

As J.K. Rowling gave voice to Ron above, the library was, and will continue to be the place to go to learn, discover, and explore. I remember fondly my time as a child spent in our very own Forest Public Library. Our family went into town once a week to get groceries and to visit the library where our Mrs. Wallace patiently, passionately helped my sister and I find the perfect book to read for the coming week. Today, the Forest Public Library is part of a wider library system in Lambton County and I was impressed to find out more about the services provided by each library through their informative and thoughtful Facebook Page. Yes, I said Facebook Page!  How awesome is that?  I also learned that The Lambton County Library system is hosting a rotating event called “Gadget Gallery eReader Exhibition” where all new eReaders can be tried out first hand at libraries county-wide. What a perfect example of how the local library has continued to evolve as an essential learning commons for communities across Canada.

I will leave you with one final library quote from Goodreads that seems so appropriate:  “I attempted briefly to consecrate myself in the public library, believing every crack in my soul could be chinked with a book.” – Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible.

May your soul be chinked with a great read this week!