Going on an adventure this summer is getting easier.
The Timmins Public Library has curated outdoor reading kits that will help people explore local trails and learn more about the animals and plants in northeastern Ontario.
Inspired by a similar project in the United States, assistant library director Erin Auger said the packs have been adapted to the community.
“We wanted to make sure that the kits were bilingual and that the kits also reflected the nature and the flora and fauna that we have here in Timmins,” she said.
While still rooted in literacy — there are books in each kit — the program is giving people tools to explore.
Being a community that’s surrounded by nature, Auger said the program fits.
“It just seemed like a no-brainer for outdoor adventure,” she said.
Adult and children’s kits are available.
For adults, each kit has books related to the topic, a bear bell, local trail maps and a compass. To check it out, you need to be a library card member in good standing and over 18 years. It is a one-week borrow. The themes are:
• Geocaching, with a handheld GPS unit, binoculars and magnifying glass
• Bird watching, which has binoculars and a magnifying glass
• Stargazing, with a stellarscope and stargazing chart
• Hiking, which has binoculars
Five topics are available for the kids, with each one including books related to the topic, a mini trail guide, and a compass. There is no age limit for the children’s kits, you just need a library card. They can be borrowed for three weeks. The themes are:
• Bird watching, which has a small set of binoculars
• Stargazing, with a stargazing chart
• Bug identification kit with a pocket microscope
• Animal tracks with a magnifying glass
• Tree/leaf identification, with a magnifying glass.
“Each kit features a journal, it is their nature journal where we are asking them to record their experiences and observations so they can share with the next borrower what they saw and discovered,” Auger added.
The journals, she said, will turn into a collective memory of where the borrowers went and their adventures. Adding in your story isn’t required, but is encouraged as a way for the library to measure the success of the program and to show how they are being used.
Since launching a couple of weeks ago, the program has been well-received.
“The kids, it’s very popular, we have lots going out,” said Christine Fortin, Timmins Public Library reference assistant.
She said the most popular themes are GPS, birds and stargazing.
The kits will be offered until November.
While Fortin and Auger see potential in expanding the program with kits geared to winter, it’s too early to say if that will happen. They also said some kits could be added to the C.M. Shields Centennial Library branch in South Porcupine.
“Right now it’s a pilot project, so we’re trying to make this work and then we’ll see where we can branch off,” Fortin said.
The aim of the program is to get people active and encourage people to go back to the books a little bit.
“Our goals are to get people to be active, and to see the library as a resource for not just literacy…we also offer amazing programs, so it’s an opportunity to get people in the door,” Auger said.
