Calendar Contact Us Catalogue
A photo of the outdoor space at the Ilderton Library.

September 2026

Welcome to our monthly newsletter featuring all that's happening at your library.


The outdoor space at the Ilderton Library.

Tools for School

HelpNow logo

HelpNow

An all-in-one online resource for elementary and high school learners. Whether you need live tutoring, study aids, writing help, or practice tests, HelpNow offers expert guidance and interactive tools—all accessible on any device, by browser or app. Learn more about HelpNow!

A photo of the decodable collection at the Strathroy Library.

Decodable Collection

Middlesex County Library offers a collection of decodable books available to all patrons through our online catalogue or browsable in person at the Strathroy Library. Decodable books help beginning and emerging readers master decoding. They are a great resource for everyone, but essential for individuals with dyslexia and other reading disabilities. Explore the Decodable Collection.

NovelList k-8 logo

NoveList K-8

Readers from Kindergarten through Grade 8 can discover popular fiction and nonfiction for school projects and reading for fun. Find author read-alikes, curated book lists, series lists, reviews, book discussion guides, first-chapter excerpts, and recommendations for even the hardest-to-please readers. Try NoveList K-8 now!

A collage of 3 French language book covers.

Children's French Language Collection

A collection of French language Picture Books, Easy Readers, Juvenile Fiction and Juvenile Non-Fiction is available to all patrons through our online catalogue or browsable in person at the Strathroy Library. Explore the French Language Collection. 

Programs and Services

Register Now!

Fraud Awareness

Join Cst. Katherine Lockwood from the Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service & Cst. Jeff Hare from the Ontario Provincial Police as they discuss common and emerging scams in Ontario. Registration required: call 519-245-1290 or register online. 


When: Tuesday, October 6 at 11:00am


Where: In person at the Strathroy Library or virtually on Zoom.

Understanding the Aging Brain

Susan Oster from the Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners will explore the memory changes that can occur with aging, and how to recognize atypical changes that may signal a concern. Join in person, attend a viewing party, or participate virtually from home. Regsitration required. 


When: Thursday, October 8 at 2:00pm


Ways to Attend: In person at the Strathroy Library, viewing parties at the Ailsa Craig, Coldstream, and Parkhill Libraries or virtually on Zoom. 

Register for Ailsa Craig
Register for Coldstream
Register for Parkhill
Register for Strathroy
Register for the Virtual Program

Warden for a Day

 Middlesex County is inviting local high school students to apply for their chance to be Warden for a Day!  The program offers a hands-on opportunity to experience municipal government in action and learn about the important role County Council plays in supporting Middlesex communities. Learn more!

A water colour painting of two poppies.

The Poppy Project

Join us at select branches to create a handmade, sustainable poppy for Remembrance Day. The poppies are designed to be placed in gardens over the winter and grow flowers in the spring.


Programs will be happening at the Coldstream, Dorchester, Ilderton, Strathroy and Wardsville Libraries.  For more information, check our online event calendar, or contact the hosting branch.  

A group of four seniors viewing a smart phone together. Text on the image reads Celebrating Seniors in October.

Celebrating Seniors

National Seniors Day on October 1st is an occasion for all Canadians to celebrate older adults. Join Middlesex County Library in celebrating the seniors in our communities with a month of special programs. From yoga to guest speakers, to crafts and social get-togethers, there is something for everyone! More information about events will be available soon: follow us on Facebook, keep an eye on our event calendar, or visit your local branch to learn what will be happening near you. 

Middlesex EarlyON

Check and Connect logo

Check & Connect clinics provide a supportive space where you can work with an early childhood educator to check in on your child’s development in key areas such as communication, social skills, motor skills, and problem-solving. Celebrate milestones and find out where extra support might help. Free and open to all families!


Check & Connect drop-in clinics are offered during regularly scheduled Play & Learn and Baby Time programs.


LocationDate & TimeAge Group
Dorchester Library Wed, Sept 16: 9-11 a.m.0-6 years
River HeightsWed, Sept 16: 1-3 p.m.0-12 months
Strathroy LibraryThurs, Sept 17: 9-11 a.m.0-6 years
Strathroy LibraryThurs, Sept 17: 1-3 p.m. 0-12 months
Komoka LibraryThurs, Sept 18: 9-11 a.m.0-12 months
Lucan Library Mon, Sept 21: 9-11 a.m.0-6 years
Lucan LibraryMon, Sept 21: 1-3 p.m.0-12 months
Parkhill LibraryWed, Sept 23: 9-11 a.m.0-6 years
Thorndale LibraryFri, Sept 25: 9-11 a.m. 0-6 years
Glencoe LibraryMon, Sept 28: 9-11 a.m.0-6 years
Glencoe Library Mon, Sept 28: 1-3 p.m.0-12 months
Ilderton LibraryTues, Sept 29: 9-11 a.m.0-6 years
Ilderton LibraryTues, Sept 29: 1-3 p.m.0-12 months


For more information about Middlesex EarlyON email earlyon@middlesex.ca or call 519-666-3227. 

Staff Picks

Click on the book cover to place a hold.

Love, Panda

Elaine Su

Meet Panda: she's grumpy, she's snarky, she's a ball of mischief, and... she's been abandoned in the BABY'S room. Follow along as cheeky Panda the stuffy writes letters to Benny, her owner and the big brother, pleading to be rescued from the drooly, boring, (...and kinda cute?) baby.


Suggested by Shauna, Child and Youth Librarian

The Measure

Nikki Erlick

Today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?


Suggested by Caralee, Wardsville & Newbury Supervisor

Velvet Was the Night

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student Leonora, disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman--and journeying deeper into Leonora's secret life of student radicals and dissidents. Mexico in the 1970s is a politically fraught land, even for Elvis, a goon with a passion for rock 'n' roll who knows more about kidney-smashing than intrigue. When Elvis is assigned to find Leonora, he begins a blood-soaked search for the woman--and his soul. 


Suggested by Meghan, Ailsa Craig Branch Assistant

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known. 


Suggested by Andrea, Komoka Branch Assistant

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig

The Midnight Train

Matt Haig

When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were. For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice. Before he gave it all away. He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .


Suggested by Katie, Thorndale Branch Assistant

White Houses

Amy Bloom

Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign. Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, Hick, as she's known to her friends and admirers, is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. But then, as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love, and a life that Hick never expected to have. 


Suggested by Krista, Ailsa Craig Branch Assistant

Follow us on social media for all the latest happenings.

Fb Inst Th BlueSky