Our Blog Team

Charlie C. (he/him)

Charlie loves to read across genres. His favourite part of working at the library is connecting people with resources to help better their lives and experiences; knowledge is a path to empowerment. Accordingly, he is interested in reading and borrowing adult non-fiction books related to almost everything. He enjoys reading about business, self-improvement, environmental sciences and spirituality/esotericism. Books that help ask big questions and invoke equally big wonder are among his favourites.

Charlie’s other hobbies include writing, hiking, photography and cooking.

Nancy C. (she/her)

Nancy has worked at the John M. Harper Branch as a Library Assistant for over 11 years. Her best days are when she can introduce readers, both young and not-so-young, to new authors/series. She feels like a kid in a candy store at the library, always amazed at the new finds that she discovers. She loves the wide selection of movies/TV series and has done a good number of the amazing puzzles that are in the collection.

Nancy sings in a local choir and hits the stage with a theatre production company in New Hamburg. She is an avid reader, gardener, golfer, and newly back to skiing after a 30-year hiatus.

Ikhlas H. (she/her)

Ikhlas’s favourite part of working in a library is having access to all the books her heart could desire. Her “TBR” (To Be Read) list grows every single day.

Her favourite books include Harry Potter (always), Big Little Lies, Pride and Prejudice, Emma and anything by Elizabeth Lim, Mhairi McFarlane and Rebecca Ross.

Ikhlas loves borrowing physical books and board games from the library, especially the latest romance titles and new games for her daughter. When she’s not working, she can be found spending time with her family, writing her own stories, reading (of course), baking and prowling Goodreads for her next great read.

Kelly I. (she/her)

Kelly has the great pleasure of spending her time as a Library Assistant at the Main Library. Her favourite things about working at WPL are getting to experience amazing new books all the time, and then write about some of her favourites for the Check It Out blog.

When she is away from the library, Kelly loves spending time with her family, who are big into hiking and taking in the great outdoors. Kelly majored in art history at university and so she also loves to immerse herself in all things arts and culture. Her favourite way to spend a Sunday is at an art gallery and then lounging at a café afterwards with a latte in one hand and a great book in the other.

Lesley L. (she/her)

Lesley fell in love with books years ago when her Mom introduced her to The Littles – a story about a miniature family that lived inside the walls of a house owned by the Biggs family. After that, she read anything she could get her hands on: Ramona the Pest, Nancy Drew and of course, The Baby-Sitters Club.

Now Lesley works at the John M. Harper Branch as a Library Assistant, helping introduce children to a world of reading. Her favourite part of working in a library is connecting young readers with different kinds of materials – Playaways, magazines, non-fiction – reading comes in all forms!

Laurie P. (she/her)

Laurie loves interacting with her library customers and seeing WPL’s newest branch become a vibrant community hub. As an avid reader, she enjoys giving book recommendations to customers and providing Readers’ Advisory training to WPL staff.

She has a large personal library but often brings home an armful of library books by the end of her shifts. She loves reading physical books as well as using the Libby app to read eBooks or listen to digital audiobooks – particularly when she’s on a walk, hitting the gym or trying to make household chores more enjoyable.

In her spare time, she is the book blogger behind The Baking Bookworm and reads voraciously in a variety of formats and genres – thrillers, contemporary fiction and CanLit being her favourites. She regularly attends author events, loves promoting public libraries and connecting with people about all things bookish – in English or American Sign Language (ASL).

Emma S. (she/her)

Emma’s favourite part of working at the library is getting the chance to connect with so many people in the community. Her number of “oh hey!”s spoken to acquaintances has increased tenfold since she started working here!

While at WPL, her favorite things to borrow are complex and lyrical stories balanced with warm themes and delivery. Epic high fantasy, tender romances and intriguing nonfiction all make the list. She has also been enjoying non-book offerings, especially the park passes. Away from WPL, she loves being outdoors to swim and rock climb, as well as eat her way through every good restaurant in KW.