October 2025 – Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library

Samhain

The Gaelic Festival of Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Samhain begins at sundown on October 31 and goes until sundown on November 1.

The roots of Samhain stretch back deep into the prehistoric development of Celtic pagan beliefs. With the arrival of Christianity in what we now know as Ireland and Scotland, the practices of Samhain and All-Saints Day merged over time. Halloween traces many of its roots back to both Samhain and “All-Hallows Eve,” — the night before All Saints Day.

There has been a modern revival in celebrations of Samhain, in part due to the practices of Wiccans and other neo-pagans, as well other people who see it as a as a way to incorporate Celtic rituals into their belief systems. Many others see it as a way to celebrate Irish culture and history. Samhain is often celebrated with feasting and giant bonfires.

Find out more:

Is Reading Horror Good for You?

Why do so many people take delight in getting spooked? Why are Horror books and movies so popular? Here are some articles that attempt to explain why there may be some good reasons for scaring yourself with Horror fiction.

October is Halloween Month. Come down to your School Library to browse our collection of Horror Fiction.

Books for Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner, but it is never too late to pick up a scary book. Come down to the School Library to browse our collection of horror and all things spooky. Here are some of our most recent additions:

October is Horror Month at your School Library

Library Hall of Fame

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 2025 inductees into our Library Hall of Fame:

Shiela Egoff

Sheila Egoff (1918-2005) was one of Canada’s most outstanding librarians. Egoff worked in both public and academic libraries. Egoff was also a writer, a historian, a professor, a literary critic. Among her many accomplishments, Sheila Egoff was Canada’s first tenured Professor of Children’s Literature (at the University of British Columbia.) Egoff was named to the Order of Canada. The Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize for excellence in children’s and young adult literature, has been awarded in her name since 1987.

Find out more:

Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde (1934-1992) spent many of her early years as a teacher librarian in New York Public Schools, before garnering greater fame, and many honours, as a poet, academic, novelist, activist, philosopher, feminist, and more. Much of her work spoke to fight for the freedom and equality of the oppressed and marginalized, including the intersections of race, gender and sexual orientation.

Find out more:

S.R. Ranganathan

S.R. Ranganathan (1892-1972) is known as the “Father of Library Science”in India. Best known for “The Five Laws of Library Science,” Ranganathan also developed the Colon Classification system. His work not only revolutionized the practices of libraries and librarians in India, but grew in influence throughout the world.

Find out more:

Previous Library Hall of Fame Inductees:

Brian Deer
Ed Greenwood
Zoia Horn
Gene Joseph
Nancy Pearl
Ken Roberts
Leslie Weir
Jessamyn West
Zenodotus

School Library Day AND Drop Everything and Read

Today is Canada School Library Day, BC School Library Day, and the day of the annual DEAR Challenge: Drop Everything and Read.

Library Books about Libraries

Library books about libraries and books. And librarians, literacy, information, reading, intellectual freedom, learning commons, and all topics to consider for Canadian Library Month and International School Library Month.

Drop Everything & Read on Monday

Next Monday the students and staff of our school will rise to the DEAR Challenge: Drop Everything and Read. During the long 2nd block (C block) everyone is challenged to read for 20 minutes.

October 27 is Canadian School Library Day & BC School Library Day. School Libraries are valuable in so many ways. Amongst the most important is how much school libraries can educate students and staff about the massive importance of recreational reading, and how vital school libraries are in supporting students by giving them access to books. We encourage everyone in our school– indeed, everyone in the community at large– to take up the challenge to Drop Everything and Read.

Happy Bandi Chhor Divas

Happy Bandi Chhor Divas and Happy Diwali

_{Source: UrbanUrban CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons}

On Bandi Chhor Diva, Sikhs celebrate Guru Hargobind, the 6th Guru, who was released from prison, along with many other prisoners, in 1619. The name Bandi Chhor Divas means “Liberation of Prisoners Day.” Sikhs in Canada, India and around the world will celebrate this holy day, which coincides with the 5 day Indian festival known as Diwali.

From the BBC:

According to tradition, Guru Hargobind was released from prison in Gwalior and reached Amritsar on Divali. He would only agree to leave prison if 52 Hindu princes who were in prison with him could also go free. The Emperor Jahangir, said that those who clung to the Guru’s coat would be able to go free. This was meant to limit the number of prisoners who could be released. However, Guru Hargobind had a coat made with 52 tassels attached to it so that all of the princes could leave prison with him.

The story reminds Sikhs of freedom and human rights and this is what they celebrate on Bandi Chhor Divas.
Source: BBC

Find out more:

Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali and Bandi Chor Divas

‘Tuhanu Diwali diyan boht both vadhaiyan’

Keval Tank, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Diwali is celebrated by millions of people in India, Canada and around the world. Hundreds of millions of Hindus celebrate “the Festival of Lights.” Millions of Sikhs, and people of other faiths, also celebrate Diwali.

For Sikhs the festival of Diwali has added significance as it generally coincides with a Sikh celebration known as Bandi Chhor Divas. In 2025 this takes place on October 21

Many people will celebrate a five day festival from October 18 to 22, with the many public celebrations of Diwali in Canada on Saturday, October 18 and Monday October 20. However, it may be celebrated at different times, and in different ways, by various groups in India, South Asia, and in the Indian diaspora.

Diwali may also be rendered as Deepavali or Divali.

For more information on Diwali, check out:

Canadian Library Workers Day

Happy Canadian Library Workers Day to the wonderful Volunteers and Library Science students. October is Canadian Library Month and on the third Friday each year we celebrate the vital role played by workers in all of libraries across the country, including school libraries, public libraries, and more.

October 17 is Canadian Library Workers Day
October 27 is Canadian School Library Day
October 27 is DEAR: The Drop Everything and Read Challenge
October is Canadian Library Month
October is International School Library Month

Canadian Library Month

Come down to your School Library this month to join us in celebrating Canadian Library Month. The theme for 2025 is “Libraries For Life.” We should all celebrate, enjoy, protect, support, and make use of libraries throughout our lives, from childhood to our golden years and every stage in between.

October is CLM and ISLM (International School Library Month): two good reasons among 18 billion other good reasons to visit your local library!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for? Take some time this Thanksgiving to appreciate the good things in your life.

We have a long weekend with the day off of school on Monday. For many Canadians, this is a day of traditions.. Perhaps you will be eating a turkey, surrounded by friends and family. But will you take some time to “give thanks” on Thanksgiving?

Staff at Lord Tweedsmuir getting ready for a Thanksgiving meal.

Thankfulness is strongly correlated with positive mental health outcomes. According to Harvard Medical School: “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

Some of us are incredibly privileged. Some would even say blessed. Over this Thanksgiving long weekend, we encourage you to take some time to consider the things in your life for which you are thankful.

Find out more:

Note: Life is full of challenges and hardships for all people. However, it may be worse for some, whose difficulties may be profound, perhaps even traumatic. In the midst of painful circumstances, it may be difficult to reflect on the things for which one might be thankful. Being grateful for the good things in life does not take away from the pain and trauma that may also be there. Gratitude alone is not a substitute for seeking help from mental health professionals.