Please join us at the Fireside Family Storytime at 10:30 a.m.on Friday, January 27th to hear stories read by special guest reader Mayor Pat Perkins. The draw for completed "Journey to Learning" passports will take place at the end of the storytime and the winning family will be notified. One entry only per family please. Be sure to pick up your Family Literacy Day activity sheets while you're here.

The Council of the Town of Whitby is holding a public meeting to consider the 2012 Current and Capital Budget and hear public submissions on Thursday, January 26 at 7 pm. The Budget will be formally adopted at a Council meeting to be held on Thursday, February 16 at 7 p.m. Both meetings take place in the Council Chambers of the Whitby Municipal Building, 575 Rossland Road East, Whitby. 

You can find copies of the 2012 Current and Capital Budgets on the Town website and copies are also available at no cost upon request by contacting the Treasury Department at  905-430-4300, extension 2233 or treasury@whitby.ca.

Residents who wish to appear at the January 26, 2012 meeting as a delegation are encouraged to register with the Town Clerk by 4:00 pm on January 23, 2012 at clerks@whitby.ca or 905-430-4315.

Residents who wish to appear at the February 16, 2012 meeting as a delegation are encouraged to register as a delegation with the Town Clerk by 4:00 pm on February 13, 2012 at clerks@whitby.ca or 905-430-4315.

Written comments for Council’s attention and requests for further information regarding these meetings should be directed to the Town Clerk at wilcoxd@whitby.ca or 905-430-4302.

In the depths of January, many of us look out the window and think of faraway places. You might be considering someplace warm for a winter holiday or a snowy place to take advantage of winter sports. Or perhaps you're planning an upcoming summer trip.

If you're looking for ideas, check out our collection. Beautifully illustrated books like Ultimate Adventures: A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel, Off The Tourist Trail: 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives and 1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You Die can show you interesting and amazing places that you might not otherwise have considered.

Wherever you travel, get great on-the-ground info about things to see, places to stay and cultural tips from our extensive collection of travel guides by Lonely Planet and Fodors, as well as our very useful Global Road Warrior database.

Contact the library. We can answer your questions - just ask us! Quick, reliable and friendly too!

The English version of Wikipedia went offline at midnight for 24 hours to protest a bill introduced in the US House of Representatives last fall called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Other sites such as Reddit and Boing Boing have also gone offline today. The National Post has written a good summary of the debate, available here.