On Saturday May 4th at the McLaughlin Branch of the Oshawa Public Libraries, the best independent and original shows in town stopped by the Oshawa Public Libraries to rock our world!

Several acts got the chance to show their stuff and have their time in the limelight while they went head to head with other artists to be named the best of the best!

Here are the Judges’ Choice winners for the 2013 Hype Music Event:

Best Children’s Act: Sal n’ Chels

Best Stage Presence: Mik Aument

Best Audience Participation: Watershed Hour

Best Drummer: Laura, from Watershed Hour

Best Adult Act: Elephant Shoes

Best Original Song: Sal n’ Chels

Best Teen Act: Struck Dumb in the Presence

Thank you to all of the performers who battled it out, you are all truly talented!

A special thank you to our Judges: Alan Hatton (Songwriters Music Festival), Cole Kidd (founding member of Hello Beautiful, Video Director, Songwriter and producer at Slaight Music), Jason Welsh (music instructor, song writer)

The Oshawa Public Libraries would like to advise its customers that all branches of the library system will be closed for the Victoria Day holiday on Monday, May 20th. The Library will operate according to its normal hours on Saturday and Sunday of the Victoria Day weekend, and will again open normally on Tuesday, May 21st. We wish you and your family a happy Victoria Day long weekend.

Thanks to all those who participated in the seniors writing contest, this year at the Oshawa Public Libraries. We’d like to congratulate our winners for their fantastic contributions. In first place was The Letter, by Irene Lubowitz. Our second place contestant was A Banjo Player, by Debbie Walker. And our third place winner was Stairs by Vicki Cotter. We hope you enjoy these writers’ fantastic work.

This Saturday, May 11th, escape into history and celebrate Durham Region’s cultural heritage at Heritage Showcase. Talks, virtual tours, and exhibitions are all part of this exciting festival you won’t want to miss. Explore our heritage and find out how our ancestors shaped our towns, villages and cities. Capture the moment at our free photo booth. Be sure to visit all of our guests from organizations throughout Durham - museums, historical & genealogical societies, libraries, military groups, various clubs and many others who will be exhibiting and promoting their services. Free drop-in programme for the entire family, teens too! Free parking all day.

For more information, please contact Eva at 905-579-6111 Extension 5243.
McLaughlin Branch, Auditorium
Saturday, May 11 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

DurhamRegion.com is sharing the news that Oshawa Public Libraries board member Grant Karcich will provide a talk on his latest book, The Scugog Carrying Place, at an Oshawa Historical Society Event to be held at the library's McLaughlin Branch, this May 21st. Local history in the community - local history making the news!

The OverDrive eBook service has undergone an exciting new design change. New devices support has been added, along with a more intuitive manner of searching through the Oshawa Public Libraries’ eBook and eAudiobook collections. If you have not checked-out an OverDrive eBook, then you may not be aware that there are more than 3,000 eBooks and 350 eAudiobooks in childrens, teen and adult reading levels. You may download up to five items at a time, and materials may be checked out for 7 or 14 days. Sign up for eReader training where staff will demonstrate, on a one-on-one basis, how to connect your eReader or Device to the Library’s OverDrive service

OLA, the Ontario Library Association, is profiling the special services of libraries across the province. Uniquely featured at the Oshawa Public Libraries: our large collection of GM repair manuals, serving Oshawa's love of all things automotive for many years, and serving it, we anticipate, for many years to come.

The Oshawa Public Libraries, Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery invite Oshawa residents age 55 years or older to submit their art works for inclusion in the Fifth Annual Juried Art Show for Seniors, to be held between June 5th and June 12th, 2013. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Just consult the contest brochure for information on how you can contribute, and submit your entry on May 31st.

This April 25th through 27th, it's time to start getting ready for summer, at the Friends of the Library Summer Reads Book Sale 2013. Books, CDs and DVDs will all be available and on display in the auditorium at 65 Bagot Street, McLaughlin Branch. Our schedule for this year's book sale is as follows:

Thursday, April 25: 9:00 am to 7:30 pm
Friday, April 26: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Saturday, April 27: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

The Oshawa Public Libraries would like to advise its customers that all branches of the library system will be closed for the Good Friday holiday on March 29th, and for the Easter Sunday and Monday holidays on March 31st and April 1st. The Library will operate according to normal hours on Saturday the 30th and as of Tuesday, April 2nd. We wish you and your family a happy Easter Weekend.