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@ Your Library: Friends gearing up for sale

There was some rather interesting news on NPR this morning: The major banks in the U.S. are going to start charging customers for using their debit cards...

There was some rather interesting news on NPR this morning: The major banks in the U.S. are going to start charging customers for using their debit cards — five bucks a month for even one use outside an ATM machine. I would be willing to bet within the year it will be announced that the major Canadian banks will follow suit.

The latest news of money grabbing in Canada is the cost of the inevitable e-passport, which will also be mandatory next year for those going outside the country. Check the Passport Canada webpage for information on what that means to us. The cost right now is being estimated at $225 for new passports, which is subject to change. I don’t imagine the change will be in the downward direction and that does not include the cost of getting your picture taken for the chip. They say there is a holographic image and a hidden image of the bearer that can only be viewed under an ultraviolet light. Can they use a regular camera for that? one wonders. There is one small sign of relief, according to whom you talk to and on what day: These passports will be good for 10 years.

While all around us costs keep going up, you can take some comfort in knowing the cost of books at the upcoming Friends of the Library book sale has not changed and won’t change in the foreseeable future. All it takes is a donation to purchase any of the books or videos in the room. The sale runs from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 14 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 15. There is still time to bring donations in if you have books you would like to find homes for, and if you need to fill up those spaces again, join us at the sale. The book donations coming in to the library have been steadily increasing for the past year and the quality of the donations remains high.

We are still looking for volunteers to shelve books in the library and one of the Creston Valley Gleaners staff members was in today and said they, too, are still in desperate need of volunteers who can take on a couple of regular shifts a week. Gleaners sales have skyrocketed and they have never been busier. There is not a dime of the money they bring in that is not given back to the community.

A directive has come down to me from the top echelon of our tech staff requesting me to mention our Facebook page and how easy it is to click on that like button when you find the page. Our staff have established a lively and energetic Facebook presence and are doing an exceptional job at learning and maintaining new tech skills almost daily. Two of the staff have iPads and it is almost frightening how attached they are to them.

That reminds me, our audiovisual room is available for Skype calls if you don’t have high-speed Internet. Call the library at 250-428-4141 and let us know what time you might need the room and we will reserve it for you.

Ann Day is the chief librarian at the Creston and District Public Library.