$1 Million Donation Supports Entrepreneurial Innovation and Lifelong Learning at the Library MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 24, 2018Calgary, AB—A $1 million donation from the Arthur J. E. Child Foundation announced today will support Calgarians with free, accessible business resources and programs to establish a strong, entrepreneurial ecosystem in our city.“Arthur J.E. Child was dedicated to excellence and discipline in business, and kindness and generosity in philanthropy throughout his lifetime. His private charitable Foundation is honoured to promote this legacy through the support of the New Central Library business library and programs, which is especially fitting given Mr. Child’s love of literature. He was a voracious reader, an acquirer of a substantial personal library collection, and an avid promoter of business education, all of which will be reflected in our proud partnership with Add In,” said Lorne Jacobson, lead Trustee of The Arthur J.E. Child Foundation.In recognition of this transformational gift, the Library will name the Arthur J. E. Child Business Library at Central Library when it opens on November 1, 2018. Additionally, the Arthur J. E. Child Careers & Small Business series can be accessed by Calgarians and members of First Nations with a free Library card at calgarylibrary.ca.“Economic downturns require many to re-skill or expand their skills, and often inspires the creation of new small businesses,” says Ellen Humphrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Public Library Foundation. “Arthur J. E. Child Foundation’s investment will provide free resources and practical knowledge for all Calgarians and aspiring entrepreneurs, which in turn, supports our city’s prosperity and resilience. This gift is a wonderful testament to Arthur James Edward Child’s business and philanthropic legacy.”The Arthur J. E. Child Foundation is a Founding Partner of Add In—the Campaign for Calgary’s Library, a bold, audacious vision to take a great library system and transform it into the best in the world.Calgary Public Library FoundationAdd In—the Campaign for Calgary’s Library, is the largest public campaign for a public library in Canadian history. The $350 million campaign will enhance and support a system of community libraries across Calgary and is inspired by the new Central Library, which will open its doors to the world in 2018. To learn more about Add In and the Calgary Public Library’s vision to create the best public library in the world for Calgarians, visit addin.ca.Calgary Public LibraryCalgary Public Library, with 630,000+ 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 in November 2018.- 30 -Media Contacts:Rachael TernerManager of CommunicationsCalgary Public Library FoundationC: 403.680.0626rachael@addin.caMary KapustaDirector, CommunicationsCalgary Public LibraryP: 403.774.7256mary.kapusta@calgarylibrary.ca
Read more about "Stories"When Calgary mom Mirna Khaled’s young daughter Julia felt she could not relate to picture books because none of the characters were in a wheelchair like her, Mirna helped write Julia her own book.Julia is an eight-year-old who has cerebral palsy. Her mother Mirna wanted people to "see her, not the wheelchair," so she and Julia’s aunt, Rawan Khaled, wrote and illustrated a book about Julia and her cousin Annabella, called Julia and Bella.The story is about Julia getting bullied at school and her headband being stolen. Annabella helps Julia feel better, including buying her a new headband.Mirna hopes the story will educate other kids about why Julia is in a wheelchair, and teach them that a wheelchair is "not something to be ashamed of.""I wanted her to see someone like her," Mirna said.Julia and Bella is on the shelves at libraries throughout Calgary, including Forest Lawn Library, where the Khaled family frequently visits. Julia personally put copies on the shelves at Forest Lawn Library last fall."I couldn’t believe it," Mirna said when she learned that Julia’s book would be on Library shelves.Mirna, Julia, and Jalal, Julia’s twin brother, moved to Calgary in June 2015 from Lebanon. Mirna, a single mother, wanted a better education and more opportunities for her children.In Lebanon, Julia was not allowed to go to school because the school didn’t have the resources to support her, even though Mirna was an assistant principal. Mirna said people in Lebanon would look at Julia with pity, but in Canada they smile at her and encourage her.The mother and daughter have a close bond, and Jalal loves to help his mother take care of Julia. "My brother is strong, nice, and he helps," Julia said.Julia’s personality changed drastically after the family moved to Canada. Before moving to Canada, Julia was non-verbal. Mirna said she will never forget the day that Julia started speaking to strangers and having a conversation with them.Now Julia initiates conversation with people and always has a smile on her face. She can string together full sentences, in both Arabic and English, and she loves to read books. "Education is her weapon to face the problems in life," Mirna said.The Forest Lawn Library was a big part of Julia’s advancement in reading and learning, Mirna said. Since they moved to Calgary, Julia and her family regularly visit the Library."[The Library] is a safe place to educate and play with your kids," Mirna said. "The Library is the perfect place to meet your neighbours and friends. It’s easy to come here, it’s accessible."Moving to Canada, Mirna had a dream to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. She wants people to know that Julia "can do everything that you do but in her own special way."Mirna created a Facebook page to get the word out about Julia. She is now selling the book, Julia and Bella, and handmade headbands at markets around the city to raise money for a future surgery to enable Julia to walk.Mirna has always had faith in Julia advancing. "I know that she is a smart girl," she said. "I know she can do it. I know she can learn."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 Perfect Place to Meet Your Neighbours’ Julia Khaled is breaking down barriers with her Library Story"How has the Calgary Public Library made a difference in your life?We posed this question one year ago, and started sharing people’s answers through our Library Stories initiative. Calgarians told us memorable stories, about how the Library made them feel connected to their community, how it brought families closer together, and how it helped during challenging times.For Henry Bastidas, who came to Canada from Venezuela, at first, the Library was where he attended free ESL, careers, and technology programs. Today, it’s a place where he gives back and helps others, by volunteering with the popular after-school program Math Quest.Daniel Rankin and his daughter Christine were impressed to learn they could sign out instruments at Memorial Park Library, and use their new Library cards at home to download eBooks and take online courses. More importantly, they discovered the Library was a place to be together.Connections are also key for Mirna Khaled and her twins Julia and Jalal, who regularly visit Forest Lawn Library. Libraries are the perfect place to meet neighbours and friends, they say. Forest Lawn Library is also where Michelle Robinson organizes an Indigenous-focused book club that she says has changed her life.These are just a few of the stories Calgarians have shared over the past year, since the launch of the Library Stories initiative.We heard from people of varying ages, from 11-year-old Esandi Babaranda — who loves reading at the beautiful Crowfoot Library — to 90-year-old Nellie Befus, who has volunteered with Calgary Public Library for 44 consecutive years.For some people, including Stephanie Mok and Scottie Grinton, Calgary’s libraries have been a safe place they turned to during challenging times.Others credit the Library with helping shape their careers, like Val Lawton, who spent countless hours at Giuffre Family Library when starting out as a children’s book illustrator.For newcomer Boban Stojanovic, receiving a Library card at Nose Hill Library was significant. Amid an ongoing refugee claimant process, the card gave him a sense of belonging and made him feel equal to other Calgarians.The subject of our most recent Library Story, Frank O’Keeffe, first signed up for a Calgary Public Library card about 50 years ago. How he uses the Library has changed over the years, from a place to study to a place to feel companionship. Libraries, says Frank, are invaluable places in our communities.Thank you to the many people who shared their stories with us over the past year!We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories One Year of Library Stories The Library has been inspiring life stories for over 100 years. This year, we started sharing them."Calgary Public Library Announces New Program in Partnership with Calgary Fire Department MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 8, 2019Calgary, AB — The Calgary Public Library in partnership with the Calgary Fire Department is thrilled to announce a new program that launches this week.From January through June, children and families will have the opportunity to participate in weekly drop-in Firefighter Storytimes at select Library locations. Visitors will enjoy a story read by a local firefighter, and, availability and weather permitting, a tour of a working fire engine – a special experience for children of all ages. This unique partnership will also see firefighters sharing life-saving fire safety tips with the communities in which they serve.“What better way to inspire early learning and literacy in children than with real-life firefighters reading to them?” said Mark Asberg, Director of Service Delivery for the Calgary Public Library. “These local heroes are helping to set the foundation for future learning. We are proud to be working with our partners at the Calgary Fire Department to bring lifechanging programs like this to Calgary’s youngest citizens.”The Library first partnered with the Calgary Fire Department for Engine 23, a popular early learning installation at the old Central Library. Following firefighter and truck visits during 2018 Love Your Library Day, a plan was made to pilot an expanded storytime program across the library system. After the closure of the old Central Library, Engine 23 was moved into storage and plans are underway to install it at a new community library location in 2019.“The Calgary Fire Department encourages our members to visit public libraries in our communities and spend some time reading to children,” says Calgary Fire Chief Steve Dongworth. “I want to thank the Calgary Public Library for working with us to help spark a love of reading among children and ensuring they have access to the reading resources they need.”The Library locations selected for the pilot program were chosen based on their proximity to local fire stations. Storytimes will take place on Sunday afternoons at two different Library locations, beginning at 2:00 pm. Each storytime will last about 30 minutes.A full list of dates and locations of upcoming Firefighter Storytimes can be found at calgarylibrary.ca/programs.Calgary Public LibraryCalgary Public Library, with 688,000+ members and 21 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. new Central Library — the newest gathering place for our city — opened on November 1, 2018.- 30 -Media Contacts:Mary KapustaDirector, CommunicationsCalgary Public Library403.774.7256Mary.Kapusta@calgarylibrary.caGemma PasquarelliAccount ExecutiveEdelman403.817.0622Gemma.Pasquarelli@edelman.com
Read more about "Stories"1. Love podcasts? You’re going to love our new speaker series. Podcast Live! features leading podcasters and innovators behind popular shows like “Radiolab” and “Invisible City.” Learn about and register for upcoming free events on our programs page.2. Can you imagine climbing Mount Everest or scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands? A new virtual reality program lets you do just that. VR Explorers is a program that takes kids ages six to 12 on an immersive virtual reality journey with Google Expeditions. It’s offered at Central Library; find out when on our programs page.3. You already know you can use Library resources in-person or online … but did you know the Library can also come to you? We have five mobile libraries rolling into communities around Calgary. Our Book Trucks and Story Trucks bring the Library to schools, community events, and day homes.4. Indigenous Language Revitalization camps are now part of Library programming! In partnership with the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, free beginner camps were offered in the fall of 2018, to learn Blackfoot, Cree, and Michif. The Library plans to offer more Indigenous Language programs in 2019.5. There’s fun new places just for Calgary kids! Our Early Learning Centres are designed to encourage young children to learn through play, and now there are now 12 of these Early Learning Centres at libraries around Calgary! Our newest spaces include a real helicopter inside Seton Library, plus a chance to discover dinosaurs at Country Hills Library.6. You can now use your Library card to take online music lessons — the same card that also allows you to borrow musical instruments for free. ArtistWorks for Libraries is an Digital Resource full of step-by-step video music lessons with experts. Watch videos on many instruments, including guitar, banjo, ukulele, trumpet, piano and drums.7. There’s a new way to get your news with Calgary Public Library. Our E-Library, already home to Digital Resources like Newspaper Source Plus and PressReader, now grants access to the New York Times Online. Find all our newsy online resources on this list.8. With exciting new residency programs at the Central Library, you can now learn from an artist and historian. Attend talks, events, and workshops, or schedule office hours with our historian in residence and view art by our artist in residence.PLUS your Library card gives you access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, free meeting rooms, $5 of free printing each month, hundreds of in-person programs, popular magazines, free music, language learning resources, free films, online courses … the list goes on and on! Check out our original list of 15 Library Card Perks to learn more.Not yet a Library card member? Sign up online now or visit any Library location to get your free card.
Read more about "Stories Eight New Library Perks You Need to Know About Now"For many years, Glenna Cardinal traveled to her nearest Calgary Public Library to sign herself and her family up for their free Library memberships. Each year they came, they were told that they were not eligible for a free card, as they live outside of Calgary city limits on the Tsuut’ina Nation. Cardinal wrote letters of concern and contacted many people, but no changes were made.“At the time, free public library membership was still unavailable to Indigenous peoples living outside Calgary, unless they paid the non-resident fee, which was over a hundred dollars,” explains Mark Asberg, Calgary Public Library CEO. “This situation amounted to a fundamental institutional unfairness, in that Indigenous communities across Alberta have not had access to the free public library services available to others in almost all municipalities across the province.”Cardinal resigned herself to paying the non-resident fee in 2016, but when she went to purchase her Library membership, she was pleased to find the situation had changed. In 2016, the Government of Alberta provided libraries with funding to support free membership for Indigenous communities in their surrounding areas. When Cardinal heard about the initiative, she was keen to work with the Library to memorialize the journey to making this change, which took 104 years to implement – from 1912 to 2016.Cardinal approached the Library about working on a project to create Library cards that celebrated Indigenous women. The women featured on the cards are members of Glenna’s ancestry. These cards create a direct and tactile connection between Indigenous communities and the Library, and will inspire Library members from other communities to ask questions and learn more about Indigenous communities in Treaty 7.These new cards mark a more inclusive period of Library service in Calgary and point to an opportunity for us to work together on ensuring we all have access to life-enriching public library resources, services, and connections.Available at all Library locations as of December 4, 2019, these limited-edition Library cards are available to new and existing Library members. The cards feature photographs of Winnie Bull (nee Crowchild) and her baby daughter Elsie Bull (Jacobs), who are Glenna’s great grandmother and grandmother.Ask a staff member at your Library about switching your card to this new design at no cost.About the ArtistGlenna Cardinal grew up with one foot in the City of Calgary and the other on the Tsuut’ina Nation reserve. Her art practice is heavily influenced by the loss of her childhood home to the construction of the South West Calgary Ring Road. As a contemporary artist, she deconstructs the reserve reality that patriarchy and colonialism have created in her community. Cardinal’s work revives the matriarchal voices of her Tsuut’ina grandmothers.
Read more about "Stories Limited Edition Membership Card Now Available The cards feature Tsuut'ina artist Glenna Cardinal's family photos and her work promoting inclusion"Eager to learn something new? With your free Library card, you can learn a new skill, take on a new hobby, or expand your existing knowledge with hundreds of free courses in our Digital Library. World Languages Always dreamed of learning another language? With Rosetta Stone Library Solution choose from 30 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Hindi, Italian, and Japanese. Pronunciator features lessons, pronunciation analysis, live tutoring, and quizzes for adults and children in 80 languages. Gale Courses also offers a course in Interested in American Sign Language.Business Amaze your coworkers with your Microsoft Office skills after taking a course on Lynda.com. Improve your proficiency in Microsoft Excel, learn to more effectively manage projects, and even develop the skills to rise to management positions. You get a certificate of achievement for every course you complete, so you can also add the experience to your resume. Car Repair Bet you didn’t know you could teach yourself to be a pro mechanic at the Library! Study up on valuable automotive information, including consumer reports, reviews, recommendations, and trends using ConsumerReports.Org + Cars Best Deals. For car and truck repair and maintenance info, browse AutoMate. This resource also includes service bulletins, electrical wiring diagrams, and diagnostic troubleshooting aids. Music Make your rockstar dreams a reality with ArtistWorks by RBDigital. Get hands-on music instruction from greats like Grammy-nominated Paul Gilbert, or blues guitar legend Keith Wyatt through step-by-step videos. Choose your instrument of choice — everything from piano and voice to mandolin, harmonica, saxophone, and hip-hop scratch — and work your way up from beginner to pro at your own pace. On Gale Courses, you can learn guitar basics or take an online certificate in music therapy. Lynda.com also offers lessons beginner chord progression and learning to monetize your sweet tunes. Writing Whether you’re interested in facts or fiction, Gale Courses can help you master the written word. Learn to plot a novel, edit effectively, and make money from your writing. Classes are interactive and instructor-led online, with six-week instruction periods, so you’ll have plenty of time to review and practice everything you need to know to become a bestseller. The Library helps people learn new skills and try new things every day. Check out all our online resources to discover for yourself.
Read more about "Stories Learn Something New from Home with Your Library Card"You’re a dyed-in-the-wool book lover. Imagine sitting down and talking books with the head of a university English department. Sounds like some kind of book lover’s dream, right?Now imagine if that English professor was just as eager to sit down with you and discuss, say, the latest book by Elizabeth Strout, creator of the literary characters Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton.Well, she is.Jacqueline Jenkins, Head, Department of English, at the University of Calgary, has joined the Calgary Public Library family of volunteers.“I love books. I love reading books. I love talking about reading books,” says Jenkins who began volunteering with the Library’s Book Discussion Group program in January of this year. “Working with the Library on something I love to do, but that is different from what I do every day, lets me meet an entirely new set of book lovers and engage with a whole new world of ideas and perspectives.”A confluence of events—including a talk by Mayor Nenshi during which he encouraged Calgarians to look for opportunities to do three things for Canada as part of the sesquicentennial, as well as working with two University staff as they developed program content for the Library—occurred at just the right time and gave Jacqueline the encouragement she needed to look into volunteer opportunities with the Library.“Calgary is a city of volunteers and, for me, volunteering with the Library provides a perfect way for me to give back to a city that has given me so much,” says Jenkins, an Ontario-born resident of Calgary for 20 years.Her tip to Calgarians looking to volunteer with Calgary Public Library? From the myriad opportunities available, find the thing that resonates with you and makes the best use of you. Then give what you can to make it meaningful to you and those around you.Jacqueline Jenkins has done just that.
Read more about "Stories Meet our Volunteers: Jacqueline Jenkins Jacqueline has found a whole new world of ideas and perspectives to engage with through volunteering"Walk into Central Library on a Wednesday morning and you’re likely to be greeted with a warm smile from Jackie Portelance. In her role with the Library’s Early Literacy Volunteer Corps (ELVC), Portelance’s responsibilities include shepherding youngsters to storytime with a firefighter at Engine 23 (the Library’s fire truck exhibit), encouraging safe play, and sharing early learning principles with families.“Volunteering is an uplifting part of my day,” Portelance says. “I think it’s very fulfilling, and I think it’s something everybody should experience.” Jackie started volunteering at the Library in October 2016, after retiring from her job as a chartered accountant. “I never had the time to volunteer when I was working, and I knew I wanted to give back to the community when I retired,” she says.Her lifelong love of reading led her to the Library, and she now volunteers with the ELVC, Computer Technology Coaching, and Special Events. ELVC members volunteer in the Library’s Early Learning Centres, designed to engage children ages five and under in play-based learning.At Central Library, Portelance loves the wide-eyed look from children when they first see Engine 23—or a firefighter—in the library. It’s exhilarating to be around youngsters’ enthusiasm and imagination, Portelance says. “No matter the day, something happens that makes me smile and laugh.”If you’d like to join the Library’s team of volunteers, please visit the Volunteers page.
Read more about "Stories Meet our Volunteers: Jackie Portelance Jackie enjoys the enthusiasm and imagination kids bring to her volunteer work"Western style reads, including cookbooks, fashion, and fiction.
Read more about "Stampede Fun"Call the Library at
Read more about "Ask our experts"The Library's placemaking journey began in 2017 with meetings with the Indigenous Place Making Council of Canada. Under their guidance, we visited the Stoney Nakoda, Siksika, Tsuut'ina, and Métis Nations of Alberta, as well as the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary for input on making Indigenous visual and oral storytelling more prominent in Library locations.
Read more about "Browse installations by artists from or with a connection to Treaty 7"Autumn is a Métis and Saulteaux visual artist and craftworker. As an archaeologist, she is curious about the material culture of her ancestors. This curiosity led her on a path of discovery to learn traditional Indigenous ways of crafting.
Read more about "Autumn Whiteway"Sarah Houle
Read more about "Flowers for My Ancestors: A Métis Story"Did you know that there are 150 ways to throw a frisbee? Join Frisbee Rob, a 6-time Guinness World Records holder, as he teaches you what is possible with frisbee including...
Read more about "Outdoor - Frisbee: Beyond Throw & Catch (Ages 6 to 12)"