Halloween is just a week away. Here are some articles to learn more about Halloween. Shout out to Mental Floss as our source for most of these links!
Legendary American writer Ursula K. Le Guin was born on this day in 1929. Le Guin is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of her generation. She is probably best known for her Fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea (1968). Le Guin was also a master of Science Fiction, winning numerous Hugo and Nebula Awards. Her novels The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed (1974), both achieved the double honour, winning both the Hugo and the Nebula. Ursula K. Le Guin died in 2018.
Richard Wagamese, the celebrated Indigenous Canadian writer, was born October 14, 1955. Wagamese was Ojibwe and a member of the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations. He was born in Ontario and lived there for much of his life. In later years he lived in British Columbia, where he died in 2017 at the the age of 61. Keeper’N Me was his debut novel, published in 1994. Richard Wagamese was perhaps best known for his 2012 novel Indian Horse.
October is Canadian Library Month and International School Library Month. As we celebrate CLM and ISLM each year, we highlight notable librarians who have made significant contributions to libraries and librarianship. We also celebrate librarians who have raised the profile of libraries and librarianship with their fame in other fields. Here are the 2024 inductees into our Library Hall of Fame:
Ed Greenwood is a library clerk from rural Ontario. He is more famous for his prolific creativity in the world of role playing games and fantasy literature. He is the creator of the Forgotten Realms game world, which he first developed as a young child and integrated with Dungeons and Dragons. He would go on to develop intricate role playing game worlds, and write myriad novels, novellas, short stories and articles for fantasy and gaming magazines. He has won numerous awards and honours, including induction into the Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Since 2019 Leslie Weir has served as Librarian and Archivist of Canada. She is the first woman to hold this post. Weir has served in many important roles in Canada’s academic libraries, including President of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, and University Librarian at the University of Ottawa. She has been honoured with numerous awards during a distinguished career.
Ken Roberts is a Canadian librarian. He had distinguished career in many positions, including President of Canadian Library Association, and Chief Librarian in the Hamilton Public Library. He is also a well known as an award winning writer of books for children and young adults, including Past Tense, a Governor General’s Award nominee. Roberts has won numerous honours during his career. One supporter offered this high praise of Roberts, “What stands out for me with Ken is that, in spite of all his accomplishments, he is a librarian first and foremost, and a humble man.” (source)
Find out more:
Ed Greenwood
Leslie Weir
Ken Roberts
Previous Library Hall of Fame Inductees:
Frank Herbert, author of the Science Fiction classic novel Dune, and the series of Dune books, was born on this day in 1920.
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 