**TIMMINS PUBLIC LIBRARY MEDIA RELEASE**

Celebrations for Ontario Public Library Week are underway and the Timmins Public Library is pleased to announce that along with its partners, it has received the Award of Excellence in Innovation and Technology for the Digital Creator North Program.

Designed for teens aged 14-19, Digital Creator North spaces encourage youth and emerging artists to explore digital technologies at six partnering locations with a focus on creating positive change through technology and creativity. These spaces are designed to be low-barrier and are located in easy to access public spaces, mainly, libraries. Both structured programs and drop-in times are offered to youth, exploring themes such as film, video editing, stop motion animation, photography, podcasting and much more.

The sites are proudly located at — the Timmins Public Library and Timmins Museum-National Exhibition Centre, the Temiskaming Shores Public Library, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library, the Kenora Public Library, the Sioux Lookout Public Library, and Elliot Lake’s Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre.

“For some, it’s a place to hang out and play video-games; for others it’s a place for teens to discover and challenge their creative potential. It’s a place where teens can gain access to the technology that just isn’t available at home; In that way, I’ve learned that our program can be a bit of an equalizer, providing the opportunity to gain digital literacy, as well as discover fun and creative outlets, to young community members who otherwise would go without.” – Tyler Levesque, former Youth Program Lead, Timmins Public Library/Timmins Museum.

Digital Creator North’s parent organization – the Near North Mobile Media Lab (N2M2L), based in North Bay, actively promotes media arts access for all artists, regardless of age, class, gender, sexual orientation, race, or ability.

The Award of Excellence in Innovation and Technology was presented by Ontario Library Service-North at the annual conference banquet in Sudbury on September 26th, 2018.

This award recognizes the hard work done by the Program Youth Leads, past and present, who have helped to make Digital Creator North the success it is today. Together, N2M2L, Youth Leads and Library partners have worked diligently to bridge the digital divide by providing opportunities to northern youth through digital media arts! Learn more about the program at https://digitalcreator.ca/

Filed under: Local News