Yes, you can find sheet music in the catalogue (select 'printed music' as format). You can also take music lessons online with Artistworks.
As a little kid in the 1980s, I had assumed public libraries only existed on television — that they were part of a dream world that was totally unattainable in my own life as a child of Chinese immigrants. But when I was eight-years-old, a friend’s mother suggested we go get some books at the Library. In Calgary? Really? We had more than just school libraries here?Roaming among shelf after shelf of books, I was hooked. I memorized the location of the Thorncliffe Library (now called Judith Umbach Library) and asked my mother to bring me back for my own Library card the following week. For a shy bookish girl, it was a dream come true.I read almost everything, but my favourite books were by Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, and Judy Blume. As I got older I enjoyed reading The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High, and other series. It was a treat to find them at the Library, since $3.95 for a book was pretty much an impossible sum of money to me as a kid.Now as a mother of three, I have become a regular Library user again. At first, I signed up for a card so I could attend a baby class at Country Hills Library with my eldest, but then I got the Library app on my phone and everything changed.It’s so easy to put books on hold through the app, and it has revitalized my reading. Last year I read 64 books, and most of those books were from the Library. I bring my kids to Country Hills Library at least every other week — sometimes more! — and they love to pick out all sorts of reading material. We take out about 20 books at a time. My girls, ages eight and seven, are big readers, and my three-year-old also loves to be read to. The Library has always represented limitless possibility to me — so many books waiting to be read — and all that reading has inspired me to write my own book manuscript, a graphic memoir on postpartum depression. While working on the book, I borrowed a lot of graphic novels and memoirs from the Library so I could get a good sense of other books in the genre. And I just want to say that whoever is responsible for acquiring graphic novels for the Library is doing an excellent job. The Library has been an invaluable resource for me both personally and professionally.Follow Teresa and view her drawings on Instagram at @by_teresawong.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories "I Read Almost Everything" Discovering the Library was a dream come true in Teresa Wong's Library Story"History of Memorial Park Library Memorial Park Library was Alberta’s first public library. The effort to build it was spearheaded by Annie Davidson, one of Calgary’s cultural pioneers, beginning in 1906. As the founder and president of the Calgary Women’s Literary Club, Davidson organized a petition to prove to City Hall that there was enough interest to support a public library in Calgary. American steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie offered Calgary City Council a total of $80,000 to build a library, so long as the City provided the site, books, equipment and maintenance for the facility. The city supplied $20,000, and the Province of Alberta provided $10,000 towards the purchase of books. The money from the Carnegie Foundation would be worth over $2 million in 2022. Central Park Library, as it was known then, opened on January 2, 1912, under the leadership of Chief Librarian Alexander Calhoun, a classics scholar from Ontario. On opening day, it housed 5,000 books, chosen by Calhoun to “satisfy the thirst of all classes of individuals.” The carving of an open book above the main doors of the Library was constructed by local stonemasons, and is still visible today. Memorial Park Library was named a provincial historic site in 1976, and in 2018, the Library and surrounding park were designated a National Historic Site . Following this, in 2020 the location underwent renovations to restore the décor of its interior to more closely resemble what it looked like on opening over 110 years ago. Photo: Calgary Public Library Archives, Our Story in Pictures
Read more about "History of Memorial Park Library"Come Discover What's New and Wonderful at Calgary Public Library on Love Your Library Day MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 17, 2018Calgary, AB — Everybody is invited to Calgary Public Library’s Love Your Library Day, a one-day event at all 20 libraries across the city on Saturday, August 18. This free event is for all, from avid Library users to those curious about what the Library can offer.“As we near November 1, all eyes are on New Central Library,” says Bill Ptacek, CEO for Calgary Public Library. “Love Your Library Day is an exciting opportunity to celebrate our incredible members and highlight our entire Library system that reaches so many people each day. We’ve never held a city-wide open house like this before, and we’re especially delighted at the chance to introduce more Calgarians to Calgary Public Library.”Love Your Library Day will run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at each location. Staff have a jam-packed schedule of activities planned, including a city-wide storytime featuring special guests at 11:00 am, family programming, behind-the-scenes Library tours, musical performances, collaborative art and story walls, scavenger hunts, and face painting.On the day, people can celebrate how the Library has made a difference in their life, learn about new services and programs, enjoy refreshments, and enter to win one of 20 door prizes. The Calgary Public Library Foundation will also be selling special limited-edition commemorative community library tote bags on Love Your Library Day for $10 (regular $15). All sales proceeds will support the essential work of the Calgary Public Library.Love Your Library Day is also a perfect time to introduce someone you know to the Library. Whether it’s been a few years since they last checked out a book, or are visiting for the first time — bring a friend to your local Library, sign up for a free Library membership on August 18 and you will both be entered to win our Refer a Friend Grand Prize, valued at nearly $1,000, which includes:Calgary Public Library late fine forgiveness $100 gift certificate and other prizes from Lukes Drug Mart A six-month membership and other prizes from YMCA Four guest passes and other prizes from Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre Literary swag from the Library Store For more details on special programs related to Love Your Library, please visit calgarylibrary.ca/Love-Your-Library.Community Libraries Get Freshened UpDuring the construction of the new Central Library, the entire system has received a facelift, with all community Library locations being renovated before the November 1 opening. These renovations include new furniture, fresh paint, enhanced technology, more meeting spaces, and 10 Early Learning Centres. Stay tuned for refreshed spaces at Village Square Library and Country Hills Library this fall!Your Library Membership BenefitsYour free Calgary Public Library card gives you access to books, eBooks, programs, online resource, printing, plus much more. Free membership benefits include:Browse and borrow print and digital books, audiobooks, music, movies, magazines, newspapers, and more. E-Library access to more than 100 Digital Resources. Read digital books with OverDrive, learn a language with Rosetta Stone, take online courses with Lynda.com, watch movies with Kanopy, and listen to music with Freegal. Online resource for kids, including animated read-along story books with TumbleBook Library and tutoring with Brainfuse. Access to Early Learning Centres, where children can learn through play. Book free meeting rooms around the city. Free WiFi and three hours of computer use per day. Borrow Chromebook laptops for in-Library use. Up to $5 of free printing per month. Hundreds of free in-person programs for everybody. Calgary Public Library Calgary Public Library, with 650,000+ members and 20 locations, has been inspiring the life stories of Calgarians for more than 100 years. It is currently the second largest library system in Canada and the sixth largest municipal library system in North America, with Calgarians borrowing more than 14.6 million physical and digital items and with 6.8 million in-person visits last year. The awe-inspiring 240,000 sq. ft. Central Library — the newest gathering place for our city — opens November 1, 2018.- 30 -Media Contact:Mary KapustaDirector, CommunicationsCalgary Public Library403-774-7256mary.kapusta@calgarylibrary.ca
Read more about "Stories"Did you know that sensory play lays an important foundation for your child’s learning? It encourages brain development, open-ended thinking, fine motor skill building, and even language learning. We’ve rounded up our favourite sensory activities for busy toddlers who like active play — all you need are a few household objects to get them moving and exploring.Spider’s WebWeave string, ribbon, or scarves through a laundry basket and place stuffed animals or toys at the bottom of the basket. Place the basket on its side and let your little one explore. Can they get all the toys out? This activity helps babies and toddlers build motor control and spatial awareness as they navigate their hands through the “spider’s web” to reach the objects. Be sure to supervise them. StackingFor this activity, all you need are some blocks, plastic cups, or any toddler-friendly object that they can stack. Through stacking play, your child is discovering shapes, learning how blocks can be balanced, observing how they fall, and discovering what fits together. See if you can build a tower together — but knocking it over is the best part! Explore MusicMaking music is the perfect way to get active if you’re stuck inside. If you don’t have toddler-friendly instruments available, you can make your own drums or shakers from a variety of different household objects including coffee cans, rice or beans in a bottle, pots and pans, even cardboard boxes. This kind of musical play teaches rhythm, spontaneous movement, and promotes both fine and gross motor skills. Enjoy trying these active play ideas with your busy toddler! Want even more great early literacy activities you can do at home? Be sure to check out our Library at Home section for more resources like these.Not yet a member? Sign up online for your free Library card and start using it immediately with our Digital Library resources.
Read more about "Stories Three Indoor Sensory Play Ideas for Active Toddlers"Stories come to life with animated pictures that help young children learn to read.
Read more about "Bookflix"Prefer the feel of physical books? Check out our curated seasonal book lists to find the perfect reads for a cold winter day. Then place a hold on your favourites and pick them up through our Curbside Holds Service.
Read more about "Take home great winter reads through Curbside Holds Service "Learn about LGBTQ history from the source, with monographs, manuscripts, newspapers and periodicals available in the Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
Read more about "Gale Primary Sources "Check out up to 99 items at a time from our collection.
Read more about "Readers"Rosemary Griebel, Design Lead for Readers’ Services at the Calgary Public Library, started writing poetry as soon as she could start forming letters on a page. She started practising poetry more seriously 15 years ago, when she took a course with Richard Harrison, a Calgary poet and professor. Harrison won this year’s Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry.Rosemary’s favourite kinds of poetry are music, spoken word, and form poetry. However, she most often reads lyrical and free verse. Rosemary has advice for aspiring poets: “Read, read more, and keep on reading!”“I really believe that if you don’t have a passion for reading you won’t have the right passion for writing,” she said.One of her poetry mentors, Patrick Lane, said it is important to learn from the masters, and the only way you can learn from the masters is by reading them.If you’re an aspiring poet, follow Rosemary’s top five tips to start writing:Just breatheIn the Inuit language Inuktitut, the words “to breathe” and “to make a poem” are the same. Rosemary thinks of this often as it provides her the freedom to just sit down and write and see what appears, without worrying about meaning or listening to her inner critic. You must start somewhere, and it starts with that first word or sentence. Welcome what comes. The poems choosing you are the ones that need to be written.Commit to a regular time to writeFor Rosemary, it is early morning when her mind is clear and the world is quiet. But for many, it is late at night when the rest of the house is sleeping.Take inspiration from the world around youSometimes we forget that what is most miraculous is the ordinary. What poetry does best, is to make us see the familiar with awe.Be proud of your voiceAlways remember that what you write only you can write. Use of language and experiences are unique, so be proud of your authentic voice and experience. Find your method and voice, and then sing loud.Be patientBe patient and don’t be afraid of failure. It takes a lifetime to learn a craft and failure is part of the journey.
Read more about "Stories Poetic Advice from Rosemary Griebel, Local Poet and Longtime Writer"Did you know that sensory play lays an important foundation for your child’s learning? It encourages brain development, open-ended thinking, fine motor skill building, and even language learning. We’ve rounded up our favourite sensory activities for busy toddlers who like active play — all you need are a few household objects to get them moving and exploring.Spider’s WebWeave string, ribbon, or scarves through a laundry basket and place stuffed animals or toys at the bottom of the basket. Place the basket on its side and let your little one explore. Can they get all the toys out? This activity helps babies and toddlers build motor control and spatial awareness as they navigate their hands through the “spider’s web” to reach the objects. Be sure to supervise them. StackingFor this activity, all you need are some blocks, plastic cups, or any toddler-friendly object that they can stack. Through stacking play, your child is discovering shapes, learning how blocks can be balanced, observing how they fall, and discovering what fits together. See if you can build a tower together — but knocking it over is the best part! Explore MusicMaking music is the perfect way to get active if you’re stuck inside. If you don’t have toddler-friendly instruments available, you can make your own drums or shakers from a variety of different household objects including coffee cans, rice or beans in a bottle, pots and pans, even cardboard boxes. This kind of musical play teaches rhythm, spontaneous movement, and promotes both fine and gross motor skills. Enjoy trying these active play ideas with your busy toddler! Want even more great early literacy activities you can do at home? Be sure to check out our Library at Home section for more resources like these.Not yet a member? Sign up online for your free Library card and start using it immediately with our Digital Library resources.
Read more about "Stories Three Indoor Sensory Play Ideas for Active Toddlers"Come Discover What's New and Wonderful at Calgary Public Library on Love Your Library Day MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 17, 2018Calgary, AB — Everybody is invited to Calgary Public Library’s Love Your Library Day, a one-day event at all 20 libraries across the city on Saturday, August 18. This free event is for all, from avid Library users to those curious about what the Library can offer.“As we near November 1, all eyes are on New Central Library,” says Bill Ptacek, CEO for Calgary Public Library. “Love Your Library Day is an exciting opportunity to celebrate our incredible members and highlight our entire Library system that reaches so many people each day. We’ve never held a city-wide open house like this before, and we’re especially delighted at the chance to introduce more Calgarians to Calgary Public Library.”Love Your Library Day will run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at each location. Staff have a jam-packed schedule of activities planned, including a city-wide storytime featuring special guests at 11:00 am, family programming, behind-the-scenes Library tours, musical performances, collaborative art and story walls, scavenger hunts, and face painting.On the day, people can celebrate how the Library has made a difference in their life, learn about new services and programs, enjoy refreshments, and enter to win one of 20 door prizes. The Calgary Public Library Foundation will also be selling special limited-edition commemorative community library tote bags on Love Your Library Day for $10 (regular $15). All sales proceeds will support the essential work of the Calgary Public Library.Love Your Library Day is also a perfect time to introduce someone you know to the Library. Whether it’s been a few years since they last checked out a book, or are visiting for the first time — bring a friend to your local Library, sign up for a free Library membership on August 18 and you will both be entered to win our Refer a Friend Grand Prize, valued at nearly $1,000, which includes:Calgary Public Library late fine forgiveness $100 gift certificate and other prizes from Lukes Drug Mart A six-month membership and other prizes from YMCA Four guest passes and other prizes from Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre Literary swag from the Library Store For more details on special programs related to Love Your Library, please visit calgarylibrary.ca/Love-Your-Library.Community Libraries Get Freshened UpDuring the construction of the new Central Library, the entire system has received a facelift, with all community Library locations being renovated before the November 1 opening. These renovations include new furniture, fresh paint, enhanced technology, more meeting spaces, and 10 Early Learning Centres. Stay tuned for refreshed spaces at Village Square Library and Country Hills Library this fall!Your Library Membership BenefitsYour free Calgary Public Library card gives you access to books, eBooks, programs, online resource, printing, plus much more. Free membership benefits include:Browse and borrow print and digital books, audiobooks, music, movies, magazines, newspapers, and more. E-Library access to more than 100 Digital Resources. Read digital books with OverDrive, learn a language with Rosetta Stone, take online courses with Lynda.com, watch movies with Kanopy, and listen to music with Freegal. Online resource for kids, including animated read-along story books with TumbleBook Library and tutoring with Brainfuse. Access to Early Learning Centres, where children can learn through play. Book free meeting rooms around the city. Free WiFi and three hours of computer use per day. Borrow Chromebook laptops for in-Library use. Up to $5 of free printing per month. Hundreds of free in-person programs for everybody. Calgary Public Library Calgary Public Library, with 650,000+ members and 20 locations, has been inspiring the life stories of Calgarians for more than 100 years. It is currently the second largest library system in Canada and the sixth largest municipal library system in North America, with Calgarians borrowing more than 14.6 million physical and digital items and with 6.8 million in-person visits last year. The awe-inspiring 240,000 sq. ft. Central Library — the newest gathering place for our city — opens November 1, 2018.- 30 -Media Contact:Mary KapustaDirector, CommunicationsCalgary Public Library403-774-7256mary.kapusta@calgarylibrary.ca
Read more about "Stories"More Resources Blackfoot Language Resource Project from the University of Lethbridge contains audio recordings in Blackfoot, with transcripts, and others shared in English. Blackfoot Teacher’s Guide developed by Elders Reg Crowshoe, Geoff Crow Eagle, and Maria Crowshoe provides learning activities for students in grades 1-6. Empowering Spirit is a comprehensive collection of Alberta-based educational resources to support reconciliation. Four Directions Teaching is an interactive site for students grades 5 and up, and covers teachings of the Piikani Blackfoot, Haudenosaunee/Mohawk, Ojibway/Anishinaabe, Woodlands Cree, and Mi’kmaq First Nations. Guiding Voices is an Alberta Education curriculum tool for integrating First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives through your curriculum. National Centre for Collaboration shares information from an Indigenous perspective. It covers topics like biology, nutrition, history, and music. Niitsitapiisini Teacher Toolkit from the Glenbow Museum accompanies their online exhibit about Blackfoot (Niitsitapiisini) culture. Stepping Stones is a publication of the Alberta Teachers’ Association that supports teachers in learning to meet the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Foundational Knowledge competency. Ten Ideas to Learn More About Treaty 7 and Métis Culture like books, videos, and backyard adventures. Traditional Stories are available to listen to through the Glenbow Museum. These audio recordings are spoken in Blackfoot, with English transcripts provided. Werklund School of Education provides resources related to colonization, ways of life, literature, and decolonization. Books to Build On: Indigenous Literatures for Learning is an interactive web resource that is designed to assist educators with weaving Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing into their teaching and learning.
Read more about "More Resources"As a little kid in the 1980s, I had assumed public libraries only existed on television — that they were part of a dream world that was totally unattainable in my own life as a child of Chinese immigrants. But when I was eight-years-old, a friend’s mother suggested we go get some books at the Library. In Calgary? Really? We had more than just school libraries here?Roaming among shelf after shelf of books, I was hooked. I memorized the location of the Thorncliffe Library (now called Judith Umbach Library) and asked my mother to bring me back for my own Library card the following week. For a shy bookish girl, it was a dream come true.I read almost everything, but my favourite books were by Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, and Judy Blume. As I got older I enjoyed reading The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High, and other series. It was a treat to find them at the Library, since $3.95 for a book was pretty much an impossible sum of money to me as a kid.Now as a mother of three, I have become a regular Library user again. At first, I signed up for a card so I could attend a baby class at Country Hills Library with my eldest, but then I got the Library app on my phone and everything changed.It’s so easy to put books on hold through the app, and it has revitalized my reading. Last year I read 64 books, and most of those books were from the Library. I bring my kids to Country Hills Library at least every other week — sometimes more! — and they love to pick out all sorts of reading material. We take out about 20 books at a time. My girls, ages eight and seven, are big readers, and my three-year-old also loves to be read to. The Library has always represented limitless possibility to me — so many books waiting to be read — and all that reading has inspired me to write my own book manuscript, a graphic memoir on postpartum depression. While working on the book, I borrowed a lot of graphic novels and memoirs from the Library so I could get a good sense of other books in the genre. And I just want to say that whoever is responsible for acquiring graphic novels for the Library is doing an excellent job. The Library has been an invaluable resource for me both personally and professionally.Follow Teresa and view her drawings on Instagram at @by_teresawong.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories "I Read Almost Everything" Discovering the Library was a dream come true in Teresa Wong's Library Story"Taking some time to pursue new career goals? You can kickstart your learning and planning right from home with these free resources from our Digital Library.All of these resources are available with your free Library card. Don’t have a membership yet? It’s free to sign up online, and you can start using your card immediately!Career CruisingAre you looking for a new career or interested in going back to school, but aren't sure where to start? Create a personalized plan with Career Cruising. Answer questions about your goals and ambitions to find career paths that play to your interests. You can then explore schools that offer programs matching your career suggestions. Build your resume, learn effective job search techniques, and get tips for your first day on the job all here.Learning ExpressRefreshing your resume is easy with Learning Express. This resource can help you learn to write better cover letters and resumes and provides interview tips. If you’re interested in pursuing careers in the fields of law enforcement, firefighting, cosmetology, nursing, or real estate, you can also find practice tests to help you study for certification exams.Road to IELTSNewcomers to Canada can expand their verbal and written communication skills with this resource. Road to IELTS can help you prepare for the International English Language Testing System exam by coaching you through Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing courses. Identify your strengths and weaknesses in language learning and follow a personalized study planner to stay on track.LinkedIn Learning for LibraryWhether you're looking to improve your skills in your existing field, or want to branch out and try something new, LinkedIn Learning for Library is full of expert-led video courses that can help you grow professionally. Learn helpful workspace skills like project management, time management, conflict resolution and leadership skills, or get instruction on specific software like Microsoft Office (including Microsoft Teams) and Adobe Creative Cloud. You get a certificate of completion for every self-guided course you finish!Gale CoursesIf you’re a fan of interactive instruction, Gale Courses delivery style is right for you. You can receive feedback from your course instructor during and after instruction on this platform. Classes are led by industry experts, and you receive a certificate of completion at the end of each new course. Choose from over 300 courses in topics like Mastering Public Speaking, Troubleshooting PCs, Grammar Refreshers, GED preparation, and more. Your free Library membership grants you access to two, six-week courses every year.
Read more about "Stories Career Advancement Resources"Growing up, Stephanie Mok found the Library to be a “safe haven.”Stephanie, now 27, grew up in southeast Calgary and frequented Fish Creek Library and Southwood Library. She spent most of her time after school and on weekends, from the age of 8 until she was 14, at the Library. To Stephanie, this was “a pretty critical timeline” in her life.“Honestly, it was the spot that I would come to all the time. Things in my home life were not ideal so as opposed to hanging out in the neighbourhood, I found [the Library] was an enriching place, a safer spot and also a place where you could meet up with a friend from school and not feel embarrassed,” said Stephanie. “It was kind of my little secret place I would go.”Being an only child of a single mother, who worked long hours during the evenings and weekends as a nurse, Stephanie used the Library as a place to go instead of going home to an empty house. She said her mother was comforted to know that she was at the Library, doing homework or reading about unicorns — science fiction was her favourite genre. Sitting in the Fish Creek Library today brings back memories of Stephanie’s youth. Although some things have changed, she says the Library is still a stunning space. Stephanie remembers liking that the staff and other people who frequented the Library were happy to answer questions or let her use a computer to look up things she was interested in.“I was never uncomfortable, I was always happy,” Stephanie said with nostalgia.Over time, Stephanie’s connection to the Library has changed. She used to work for United Way, where she would find volunteers to help deliver tax clinics at libraries around the city.Stephanie now works as an organizer for the Calgary Folk Music Festival, while pursuing an undergraduate degree in social work at the University of Calgary. She is also the president of Otafest, an anime convention in Calgary. As the organization doesn’t have a physical location, they’re constantly looking for places to hold meetings. The Library’s free and bookable meeting rooms are an accessible place for the group to meet.Throughout her life, the Library has been — and continues to be — an important place. “I found a safe haven, which broadened my horizons and, I believe, saved my life.”We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘The Library Broadened My Horizons’ Stephanie Mok’s Library Story helped her through a difficult childhood"