PAC > 2008 Departing Teacher Book Gifts

The Tradition

For many years the Mount Benson Parents have had a tradition of donating select books to the Mount Benson Library in honour of teachers who are departing the school.

Challenges and Changes in 2008

This tradition was presented with challenges at the end of the 2007/2008 school year due to the closure of the school. Not only was every teacher moving to a new school, but the 10,000 school library books had been boxed up for shipping to other schools or for discard well before the end of the school year.Giving books to the school library was no longer an appropriate way to honour our departing staff.

In order to continue the tradition of donating books to honour our departing teachers, the Mount Benson Parents decided to donate reference books to the Wellington Branch of the Regional Library which is located just outside the current Mount Benson Catchment and is the closest library to the neighbourhood. This ensured that the tradition of donating books to honour the departing staff continued while supporting literacy in the neigbhourhood. (The books were requested to be reference so that they would not transfer to other branchs.)

Selecting the Books

While normally the Mount Benson Librarian selects which books the library needs and would be appropriate for the departing teachers, due to the school closure, the parents requested the books be ones the Wellington library needed, or that they followed themes which honoured the history of the school (Still the oldest and longest running elementary school site in the provice). Themes included British Columbia History, Vancouver Island and area, and First Nations.

Current List of books

The following is the current List of titles for Mt. Benson PAC to consider for purchase for Wellington Reference collection.

• 1. Historical Atlas Of British Columbia And The Pacific Northwest : Maps Of Exploration by Derek Hayes. 1999. Cavendish Books. ISBN 1-55289-900-4 $55.00
• 2. Human Body : The Ultimate Guide To How The Body Works by John Farndon. 2006. Silver Dolphin. ISBN 1-59223-763-0 $20.00
• 3. Learning By Doing : Northwest Coast Native Indian Art by Karin Clark and Jim Gilbert. 2001. Raven Publishing. ISBN 0-9692979-1-2 $29.99
• 4. Learning By Designing : Pacific Northwest Coast Native Indian Art Vol 1. by Jim Gilbert and Karin Clark. 2001. Raven Publishing. ISBN 0-9692979-3-9. $34.95
• 5. Learning By Designing : Pacific Northwest Coast Native Indian Art Vol 2. by Jim Gilbert and Karin Clark. 2002. Raven Publishing. ISBN 0-9692979-4-7. $34.95
• 6. Indian Myths And Legends From The North Pacific Coast Of America : A Translation by Franz Boas. 2007. Talon Books. ISBN 0-88922-553-2. $39.95
• 7. British Columbia : Spirit Of The People by Jean Barman. 2008. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1-55017-446-0 $49.95
• 8. BC Almanac Book Of Greatest British Columbians by Mark Forsyth. 2005. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1-55017-368-0 $39.95
• 9. Vancouver Island From The Air by Rosemary Neering. 1999. Whitecap. ISBN 1-55110-957-3 $24.95
• 10. Enchanted Isles : The Southern Gulf Islands by David Spalding. 2007. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1-55017-422-3 $34.95
• 11. Nanaimo : The Harbour City by Goody Niosi. 2004. Heritage House. ISBN 1-894384-56-3 $19.95
• 12. Islands In the Salish Sea : A Community Atlas. 2005. Torchwood Editions. ISBN 1-894898-32-X $44.95
• 13. British Columbia Coast Names : Their Origins And History by John T. Walbran. 1971, reissue of 1909 edition. Douglas and Macintyre. ISBN 0-88894-143-9 $29.95
• 14. First Invaders : The Literary Origins Of British Columbia by Alan Twigg. 2004. Ronsdale Press. ISBN 1-55380-018-4 $21.95
• 15. The West Beyond The West : A History Of British Columbia by Jean, Barman. 2007. U. of Toronto Pr. ISBN 0-8020-9495-3 $39.95