Monthly Archives: May 2015

Free @ Your Library: Video Games

cover imagecover imagecover imageIn this inaugural edition of Free @ Your Library, we’ll be taking a look at video games for loan.

Did you know Vaughan Public Libraries owns 190 unique video games. The formats available include PS3, PS4, Xbox One and WiiU. Videogames can be loaned out for a period of one week. Every library in Vaughan offers a diverse selection of titles.

Want even more free? Brush up on your knowledge with our vast range of reading materials. Learn about the history of video games, the different platforms, genres, and the future of video games. Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be a character in your favourite video game? Take an adventure with video game villain Ralph, who goes from bad guy to wannabe hero in the movie Wreck-It RalphMaybe you’re even thinking about making a career out of your video game obsession! 

With prices ranging from $10-$60, video games can be a steep investment. Vaughan Public Libraries gives you the opportunity to test drive games before making a big purchase.

First Man on the Moon

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Anyone with an even superficial knowledge of history knows that the First Man on the Moon was Neil Armstrong.  For those who know no more than his name, this 60-minute documentary from the PBS show Nova will certainly give you some insights into the background of the man.  However, those familiar with the space race and the flight of Apollo 11, hoping for further revelations, will be sorely disappointed.  The summary on the cover of the DVD describes it as “groundbreaking” and “an intimate portrait”.  Unfortunately it is hardly that.  They do interview Armstrong’s family, friends, and crew mates, but what those people have to say amounts to little more than a few charming anecdotes.

The ultimate irony of this documentary is the picture they have chosen for the cover of the DVD.  Again those who know the story of Apollo 11 will realize that the astronaut saluting the American flag in this picture is not of the first man on the moon, but the second, Buzz Aldrin.  In fact, the most iconic picture from that moonwalk is not of Armstrong, but of Aldrin.  Armstrong appears as only a tiny, distorted reflection in the gold face plate of Aldrin’s helmet.