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Don't let the weather tell you otherwise - spring is here and we've got great gardening and birding programs and the return of even more of the services you love. See you in the garden!

The Rotary Reading Garden at Central Library is open for the season and features tables, chairs, umbrellas and comfy Muskoka chairs in beautiful garden spaces for unwinding and connecting with nature. Drop in whenever Central Library is open. It's the perfect spot for lunch or connecting with friends. Enter through the Children's Library on the main floor. The Garden closes one hour before the Central Library closes or dusk.

A reminder that most inside services have returned, including:

• Glanworth Branch has re-opened for inside service during regular hours.
• Inside programs, such as Storytimes, Books for Babies and other programs are now available at most locations. Check the Program Calendar for details and to register.
• Children’s toys and activities are available in our children’s areas.
• The London Room has returned to regular service. Appointments are not required.
• The Labs at Central Library have re-opened. Details here.
• Study rooms are available in some locations. Meeting rooms will be available starting May 3.
• In-person Book a Librarian appointments can be scheduled here.
• Mask wearing is optional in Library facilities and free masks continue to be available. At this time, Library visitors are not required to wear masks. We continue to keep other health and safety precautions in place and to provide free masks to all visitors.

Welcome back, neighbourhood gardeners!

Look for the date and time of our spring plant exchange at your branch and then bring in your extra cuttings, bulbs and plants to exchange with other gardeners. Please label plants. New gardeners welcome, too! These exchanges are offered in partnership with London Middlesex Master Gardeners and are a great place to learn from other gardeners.

All plant exchanges take place from 10am until 12 noon and are offered indoors or outdoors, depending upon location.

May 7: Beacock, Masonville, Sherwood, East London

May 14: East London, Stoney Creek

May 21: Crouch, Central Library (in Passageway), Lambeth

May 28: Jalna, Landon

June 4: Cherryhill

Our 2022 Environmentalist in Residence, Jennifer Chesnut, has been busy working with community organizations and experts to offer these great environmental programs, which include special guests and prize draws. Learn more about our Environmentalist in Residence initiative here.

Seedy Saturday

April 23, 10am-4pm on Dundas Place

Join Jennifer at Seedy Saturday on Dundas Place in front of London’s Central Library for fun activities and to see what the library’s 3D printer can do to help gardeners. Seedy Saturday is a festival organized by London Middlesex Master Gardeners and features garden vendors and community organizations. Learn more here.

Eco-Poetry: Using the Arts to Celebrate the Earth

April 30, 1–2:30pm on Zoom

Reading and workshop with Environmentalist in Residence Jennifer Chesnut and guest Penn Kemp.

Register here

Eco-Activism for Youth

May 7, 1–4pm at Central Library

(Stevenson & Hunt Room)

No registration - drop in.

Join youth eco-activists, including Beze Gray, water protector and land defender from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, to learn how to organize campaigns to make change. Ages 14 to 24. Light snacks provided. For information email Joanna Kerr.

MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

Jennifer has really enjoyed answering your environmental questions on a variety of topics. Find her answers and submit your own question for Jennifer and other environmental experts to answer on our Environmentalist in Residence page.

This month's challenge has been created by our Environmentalist in Residence, Jennifer Chesnut, and tests your knowledge of the trees and wildlife that call the Thames River watershed home.

On a related note, may we recommend: River Revery, a poetry collection by local author Penn Kemp, reflects on the relationship between London and the Thames River. Penn will be joining our Environmentalist in Residence for an eco-poetry workshop on April 30. Register here.

Congratulations to Julia, Chandra and Lynn, winners of last month's Pi Day trivia challenge! Winners are chosen randomly from those who correctly answer all trivia questions and are awarded a $25 pre-paid Tourism London Visa card. Thank you to Tourism London for providing these prizes as part of their Find It In London campaign to support local businesses.

May is a Bonus Borrows month on Hoopla! Hundreds of titles are available to download without using your monthly Hoopla borrows - just look for themed Hoopla Bonus Borrow collections.

New to Hoopla? Get started here.

All clinics run from 3:30 – 7pm and are drop in.

April 26: Sherwood Branch

April 27: Pond Mills Branch

• Open to all adults and children, 5 years and up.
• Includes 4th/booster doses for those eligible and 3rd/booster doses for 12-17 year olds.

Find more information and Pop Up Vaccination Clinics on the Middlesex-London Health Unit website here.

It's Forest of Reading Vote Week at London Public Library. Vote for your favourite Forest of Reading book until Saturday, April 23 in-person at any library location or online on our Forest of Reading page.

Stay up to date on new programs as they are added by checking our program calendar and by following us on social media!

Bird-Friendly London Migration Festival

May 5, 7–8:30pm

Wolf Performance Hall, Central Library

This event kicks off the Festival and features three birdy presentations. David Rodenhiser will talk about bird photography; Tim Hain will share how citizen science is used by professional scientists; and Aranya Iyer will speak about avian navigation and how birding intersects with social media, community and loneliness.

No registration. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Spanish Speaking Circle

Thursdays, 6pm

Central Library (3rd Floor Boardroom)

Spanish speakers and learners are welcome to join us each week to practice conversational Spanish and learn new vocabulary. Our group is informal and open to everyone, and all levels of Spanish. Offered in partnership with CulturX.

No registration.

Jazz for the People

Wolf Performance Hall, Central Library

Free monthly concerts.

No registration.

More information here

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

The Labs: Introductory Programs

Registration opens May 2 for Friday and Saturday programs in The Labs.

Watch for details and register here.

ESL Reading Group at Central Library

Mondays, 7pm

Starts April 25

Register here

ESL Reading Groups on Zoom

Ongoing. Various dates, times & reading levels.

Register here

IN-PERSON BOOK CLUBS

Bostwick Thursday Book Club

Byron Book Club

Cherryhill Afternoon Book Club

Jalna Book Club

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUBS ON ZOOM

Ongoing. Various dates & times. Register ahead to join in.

Together at Home Virtual Book Clubs for Adults

Literature & Liberation Book Club

The Gay Guys' Book Club

Coletivo Brasileiro Book Club

Women of Colour Book Club

Science Fiction London Book Club

My Bookshelf Reading Challenge on Beanstack

Ongoing

Track your reading for chances to win prizes, write reviews and discover new books and authors in this reading challenge for adults. Set up a Beanstack account to participate or, if you have an account, look for the My Bookshelf challenge.

Register here

Stay up to date on new programs as they are added, including storytimes, by checking our program calendar and by following us on social media!

With author Karen Spafford-Fitz

for 11+ years

May 5, 6:30–7:30pm, on Zoom

Registration opens April 21.

Learn to write stories that grab readers and won't let them go! For young people interested in creative writing.

Register here

IN LIBRARY STORYTIMES AND PROGRAMS

We are excited to invite families back for in-person storytimes! Check the registration links for dates, times and locations.

Storytime! for 1+ years

Share stories, songs, rhymes and more with your child!

Register here

Books for Babies

Enjoy rhymes, stories and songs with your baby!

Register here

Tune Time for all ages with caregiver

Ongoing. Tuesdays, 10:30–11am

Central Children's Library

Develop early literacy skills with your child through music.

Register here

Multilingual Storytime in Arabic/English for 4–8 years

April 30, 3:30–4:30pm

Bostwick

Register here

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ONLINE PROGRAMS WITH REGISTRATION

Graphic Novel Book Club on Zoom

Monthly read alouds, discussion and activities.

Register here

Book Clubs for Kids & Teens on Zoom

For ages 7–9, 10–13, and 14+.

Register here

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

It's easier than you might think to read 1000 books to your child before kindergarten! Visit our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten page for tips and a list of 125 books to read to children from 0 to 4 years of age.

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NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Live Storytimes for 1–5 year olds

Ongoing. Tuesdays, 10–10:30am

LPL Families Facebook Group

Ongoing. Fridays, 10–10:30am

LPL Instagram Live

Books for Babies Live on Instagram

Ongoing. Thursdays, 10–10:20am

LPL Instagram Live

Family Trivia (Wednesdays)

A new challenge for children and families is posted every Wednesday morning on LPL's social media platforms.

London Public Library's Wolf Performance Hall, located at Central Library, is partnering with Sunfest to bring these concerts to The Wolf this spring! Purchase tickets using the link.

Tanika Charles in Concert

April 28, 8pm

Toronto-based Tanika Charles has become a true mover and shaker both at home and abroad with high energy live shows that oscillate between faithful recreations of studio recordings and cross-genre nods to rock, gospel and country.

Purchase tickets

Las Cafeteras in Concert

May 14, 8pm

Las Cafeteras are storytellers, cultural ambassadors and above all musicians translating often-political themes into music that blends traditional Mexican folk tunes with the beat of the East Los Angeles streets.

Purchase tickets

Twin Flames in Concert

May 18, 8pm

Multi-award winning, chart-topping Indigenous folk artists, Twin Flames, are long celebrated for their sonic landscapes spanning Canada and the Arctic, and honouring their ancestors through song in English, Inuttitut and French.

Purchase tickets

London Public Library

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