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September 1995, vol. 27, no. 9
by Natalie Lavigne,
Public Programs
You had to see it to believe it! Students were jostling each other and standing on tiptoe to get a better view of the book that was being "transported", before their very eyes, from one space station to another. "That's impossible!" some exclaimed, while others confidently stated, "There's gotta be a trick!"
From May 23 to June 31, hundreds of students, 11 to 15 years of age, from the National Capital Region took part in the educational program offered by the National Library as part of the exhibition "Out of This World: Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy". According to some of the comments we heard from students -- "Awesome!" and "I didn't know there was so much to science fiction!" -- and from their teachers -- "Excellent work!" and "Hats off to the organizers!" -- the show has been a resounding success.
In response to considerable demand from teachers who had participated in the educational programs tied in with the Library's "Passages" and "Imagine the North" exhibitions, Martin-Denis Morais, freelance designer and writer, prepared this third educational program that was just as successful as the previous ones.
"It's funny when you think about it," he points out, "but the main purpose of this program was primarily to make visitors realize that, yes indeed, science fiction and fantasy literature does exist in Canada! Once this message was conveyed, the program went on to reach young people through the heroes and stars with whom they can identify in their own worlds of experience: Superman, Shatner, Gibson, and so on. Of course," he adds with a smile, "it was also important to explain carefully what is available at the National Library and its exhibiting partner, the Merrill Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy at the Toronto Public Library."
Anyone working with young people today knows the challenge involved in setting up an educational program that pleases students and teachers alike. The Library's program met the need for entertainment felt by young people, who are constantly bombarded with images and sounds and who, moreover, are past masters in the art of "zapping". Teachers too came out as winners: the educational content meshed perfectly with their objectives which were, among others, to stimulate student interest in Canadian literature through intriguing activities and games, or, more simply, to open their eyes to other horizons.
An Out-of-This-World Visit
Upon arrival, the young people barely had enough time to start wondering about what was awaiting them when Jamie MacRae and Luc Barrick, two National Library docents, greeted them with smiles and lots of National Library buttons. The buttons were used to divide classes into two groups to maximize the impact of the tour guides. Luc and Jamie then gave a brief introduction to science fiction before transporting the students out of this world.
"What do you think of when you think of science fiction and fantasy?" they were asked. "Space -- Extra-terrestrials -- Princesses -- Travel" were the immediate responses.
First station: a nearly faithful replica of the transporter room from the Star Trek series. It was, of course, the supreme honour to be chosen to stand on one of the white pads used to identify the person to be transported! Then the guides invited a student to push the yellow button and activate the mini-teleporter that made a copy of the exhibition's anthology of essays disappear at one station and reappear at another two metres away.
"Ooooh! Aaahhhhh! Incredible! Did you see that?" exclaimed the dumbfounded students.
Luc and Jamie then accompanied the young people to the main room of the exhibition, first stopping at the audiovisual clips of authors and science fiction broadcasts, then at the "Make your own comic strip" station, and lastly at the showcase of costumes used in the film Johnny Mnemonic.
"UN Space Vessel Lester B. Pearson", constructed by Owen E. Oulton, and
"Swat" costume from Johnny Mnemonic, from Thunder Thighs, Toronto.
Once in the exhibition room, both groups were divided into teams of three, each of which was given a different set of questions, a clipboard and a felt pen for noting answers. Racing against the clock, each team had to answer correctly all their questions, which were on specific exhibition themes and books. It was an excellent way for students to learn about publishers, illustrators, novels, etc. The winning team was awarded a 3-D poster of the exhibition. And who says that kids have lost their competitive spirit?
To round off the tour, Luc and Jamie gave a brief overview of the elements discovered by each team as part of the questionnaire game. When they were asked, "When an author writes about sorcerers, dragons, werewolves and other beings of this type, what kind of fiction is it?", the students answered, "Fantasy!"
Having accompanied the two guides and students "out of this world" on a few occasions, it is easy to grasp the reasons behind these educational programs. The young people learn while having fun, their teachers can check off from the curriculum list another lesson learned, and the National Library has made known a seldom-seen facet of Canada's literary heritage.
More than one young student will wonder, while riding away on the bus after the visit, "Is the ideal world really a utopia where everything is made of chocolate and where there is no homework? Or is there more to it than that?"
And perhaps students will begin to see their Nintendo games in a new light!
Copyright. The National Library of Canada. (Revised: 1995-10-31).