The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

December ’99 LIBRARY NEWS icember sure The Library will be taking the final steps in moving to its new computer system during late December and early January. Behind the scenes it has been a complicated and time-consuming process since July. The Library will close at 5:00 p.m. on December 19"' and will remain closed until 1:00 p.m. on Monday January 3"". The days between December 24"' and January 2”" constitute our regular Christmas week closure. We have been closed for a week at Christmas since 1997 when Council asked us to cut $114,000from our budget to help make up for Provincial cuts to the Municipality. The Library is not staffed during this time in order to realize savings in staff costs. This year, we will be closed an additional 4 days from December 20"' through December 23'". During this time we will be replacing equipment and training staff to use the new system. It will be a very busy and intense four days for us as we learn new ways of doing everything from checking out a book and registering a patron to looking items up in the new computer catalogue During December we will be checking all materials out for six weeks on the old system. Please keep them until they are due if at all possible. We won’t be able to check anything in on the new system until January’ 3'". At 3,000+ items a day you can appreciate that we do not have room to store them. We are asking for your help. By keeping them at home and bringing them in on, or close to the due date, you can help us manage the flow of materials and make for a smooth transition. We apologize for the inconvenience that this will cause but we are very’ excited about the new computer system and all of the things it will do to make the Library more efficient and still provide great service to you. WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC,V7V 1J8 Tel: (604) 925-7400 Library Hours: (604) 925-7401 Fax: (604) 925-5933 Modem Acc.: 925-7409 URL: www.westvanlib.org REFERENCE SE A monumental work that provides us with probably the most comprehensive research in a single volume on the Canadian cultural mosaic, the Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples is available in the Reference Department for both researchers and interested curiosa-adventurers. About 1340 pages, this tome was published for the Multicultural History Society of Ontario by the University of Toronto Press. The editor, Paul Robert Magocsi, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a professor of history and political science, Ukrainian studies and the University of Toronto, and has published numerous books and articles on national minorities. The Encyclopedia is alphabetical with an index for cross-reference. Each entry includes origins, history migrations, settlements, economy, demographics, culture, religion, education, language, family life and kinship for all of Canada’s peoples, including immigrants and the First Nations communities. Following each entry is a brief bibliographic reading list. A common question on the Canadian citizenship exam is: “From where does the name Canada come?” The required answer is: “From the First Nations word kanata, meaning village or settlement.” A browse through the Reference clipping files uprooted a heading: Canada - Name, and here was found a September 11, 1980 Province newspaper clipping titled “How our country got its name” by Ainslie Manson. In this article the author tells of when Jacques Cartier arrived at the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1534, he was greeted and guided up the river by a First Nations community whose linguistic origin is unclear. If they were Iroquois, the term could have been kanata, meaning “village” or “dwellings.” On the other hand, if Cartier’s guides had been Algonquin, their term closest to the phonetic sound “Canada” means “welcome,” the greeting Mr. Cartier likely received from the original inhabitants of this land. There is a remote possibility Cartier’s guides were Cree. If so, it is unfortunate, because the Cree’s nearest term konata means “without purpose, reason or design.” Some say the Spanish named it from their phrase dca nada, meaning “nothing here.” The Basque and Portuguese had a term meaning “narrow passage.” That the origin of Canada’s name is able to be found in many other reference resources does not give the serious mind reason to forget our more mysterious reserves of information. ULT SERVICES IN THE GALLERY ... “Naturescapes - Up Close and Faraway” ... paintings by Gay Today will be on display November 29 - December 19,1999. Gay has attended many artists workshops and taken credit drawing courses at Kwantlen University College. This is her eighth solo exhibition. She has shown in the Harrison Gallery and the Adele/Campbell Gallery in Whistler. Gay paints in acrylic and watercolour, alternating from one to the other, capturing the mood and light of her subjects. Reception, artist in attendance, November 29, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Most paintings are for sale. DECEMBER ... Happy Holidays ... time left for last minute preparations, handmade gifts and decorations ... ideas for Christmas books, videos and CDs for giving ... or enjoying at home between festivities ... your library has it all! To help your holiday be a joyous celebration we offer a few suggestions ... TRADITIONS 4000 Years Of Christmas: A Gift From The Ages by Earl W. Count. Christmas around the globe ... ancient customs ... present day celebrations. Christmas Classics From The Modem Library Songs, carols, poems, feasts favourites through the years. RECIPES Bon Appetit Christmas: Entertaining. Holiday Baking. Gifts From The Kitchen by the editors of Bon Appetit. Company’s Coming For Christmas by Jean Pare. Holiday magic for your table.