Happy New Year! We are delighted to share a sneak peak of BC Summer Reading Club 2024 – World of Curiosities. Please note that you will be receiving an email very soon from Kate Wood (BC SRC Provincial Assistant) with information regarding your library system’s core print materials.
This year, we are beyond thrilled to work with Victoria-based artist and illustrator, Meneka Repka. Meneka’s unique style is an ode to traditional children’s illustration with a modern, whimsical twist – perfect for this year’s curiosity-based theme. Check out some of this year’s artwork below. Finalized versions of the print materials will be available to preview at the end of January.
Meneka will be available for workshops this summer and more details to come in early February. If you are in the midst of planning summer events and have any questions directly for Meneka regarding workshops, please contact her at meneka.repka[at]gmail.com.
This year’s poster image
One of this year’s bookmark designs.
This year, we will continue to offer t-shirts, tattoos, and baseball caps through Fairware. The ordering portal will open in early March and, again, details will be sent out closer to the date. All BCLA members will have access to discounted member pricing on t-shirts and baseball caps.
Our Co-Chairs and Content Creators have been working diligently on preparing this year’s manual, and we anticipate it to have it ready for late March, as Spring Break programming wraps up in your libraries. A big shout-out goes to the following individuals:
- Co-Chair Team: Larissa Coltildes and Victoria Ellis of Prince George Public Library, and Gen Zichy of Pemberton and District Public Library
- Content Creator Team: Kate Adams and Richmond Public Library; Corene Brown and Port Moody Public Library; Erin Crowley and Fraser Valley Regional Library; Krista Harrison, Stephanie Baum and Surrey Libraries; and Kelly Savage and Vancouver Public Library
- And a special thanks to Dr. Tess Prendergast and her UBC iSchool volunteers who will be overseeing the inclusion review
This year’s sub-themes are:
- Mysterious Creatures – either real animals or mythical/imaginary
- Depths of the Earth – rocks, volcanoes, and deep time
- Precious Mysteries – magic and mysteries
- Natural Curiosities – plants and nature
- Works of Art – arts and crafts
- Beyond Our World – space and exploration
- Collections and Memories – show-and-tell, ephemera and personal collections
Lastly, we’d like to hear the stories that made your BC SRC 2023! While we did not have a Community Story Award winner last year, we are hoping to pick this tradition back up. The Community Story Award is really an opportunity to highlight the way that BC SRC impacted your community beyond the numbers. Stories are what move us, transform us. They speak to the heart of why we do what we do — and we’d like to hear your stories. For more details, please visit the Community Story Award page. Deadline is March 1, 2024.
The winner of the BC SRC Community Story Award will be announced in March, and the award will be presented at the BCLA Conference Awards ceremony. The winner will attend the conference as our guest!
To keep up to date with BC SRC news, please visit the BC SRC Staff Page and/or sign up for BCLA’s Online Forums and visit the YAACS forum.
Happy Summer Reading on behalf of the BC SRC Team!
BC SRC is honoured to serve the diverse Indigenous Nations and communities throughout what is now known as British Columbia. As a distributed organization, BC SRC staff respectfully acknowledge that our work takes place on unceded lands belonging to the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations; and the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) Peoples.
