THE CHARLES TAYLOR PRIZE commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. The prize is awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception. The prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the runners up.  Ian Brown's The Boy in the Moon was awarded the prize at a luncheon in Toronto, on Monday, February 8th.

Harvard historian Gates argues that family history has a special place in African American culture, in part because the American institution of slavery allowed for the creation of precious few records of African Americans' lives. By detailing individuals' stories, he writes, we may tell an important part of the larger American story. In these genealogies, Gates uses the search for the family history of 19 notable African Americans to form a narrative that goes beyond family lore. He illuminates the technical challenges of tracing African Americans' roots, but he also shares his famous subjects' memories and reflections about their families' reticence in discussing slavery or telling ancestors' stories about it. These elements combine in an intelligent narrative that will be accessible even to those who aren't genealogists. A closing chapter introduces some of the tools and methods for African American genealogical research, with bibliographic sources. This book is an able companion to the PBS series Gates hosted, but it stands on its own as well.

Heydenshore Park was a private summer resort established on the shores of Lake Ontario around 1900. A number of cottages were built in the park and a pavilion was constructed in 1901. The Methodist Fresh Air Home, a camp that offered summer vacations to children from underprivileged families, was built in 1902. The area, east of Whitby Harbour, was sold to the Whitby Public Utilties Commision in 1965 and to the Town of Whitby in 1971 and it has since offered outdoor enjoyment to people from all over Ontario.

 The Whitby Digitization Project is currently uploading images of Heydenshore Park up to 1949. The images of swimmers, cottages, and Lake Ontario are sure to warm you up during these cold winter months! Check out our website to browse through the photographs of Heydenshore Park and more!

Teens 12-19 are invited to the Whitby Public Library's Anti-Valentines Day Party on February 11th. There will be several activities, including making hilarious anti-valentines day T- shirts and writing crazy break-up letters. We will enjoy broken-heart cookies and other sweets. Teens don’t need to be single to join this party—they are encouraged to bring friends and enjoy mocking commercial stereotypes of romance.

Register at the Main Floor Information Desk or by calling 905 668-6531 x 2010.