Spring is a great time get outside and enjoy the joys of nature. Here are some great books to help you explore!
Read more about "All Things Spring!"Check out books where the main character energy is just a bit....villainous.
Read more about "Welcome to our Villain Era"Calgary Public Library CEO Transition Mark Asberg, CEO for the Calgary Public Library, will be leaving the Library this spring to take on a new opportunity as Vice Provost and University Librarian at Queen’s University. Mark joined Calgary Public Library in August 2014 as Director of Service Delivery, before taking over as CEO in September 2019. During his time at the Library, Mark implemented many key projects and initiatives such as expanding library service to new communities and developing strong partnerships with key government and community groups. As CEO during the Library’s response to COVID-19 and the related public health restrictions and closures, Mark remained committed that the Library provide as much service as safely possible leading to multiple innovations. In December 2020, Calgary Public Library received an Urban Libraries Council Award for Innovation for its service innovation during COVID-19. The Library Board is forming a CEO Search Committee with the objective of hiring a new CEO for the Calgary Public Library. The search will commence immediately. The Executive Leadership Team will be available to support the CEO Search Committee, on an as needed basis, to ensure a seamless transition. The Library Board and Executive Team want to thank Mark for his leadership over the past two years. On behalf of the Board, staff, volunteers, and members of the Calgary Public Library, I wish to thank Mark for his leadership and wish him and his family all the best as they begin a new adventure. The Calgary Public Library Board wants to thank you for your ongoing support. Avnish Mehta Board Chair, Calgary Public Library
Read more about "Stories"This App Gives You Access to Hundreds of Video Tutorials for Free Become a pro at something without ever needing to leave the house (or even get off the couch). LinkedIn Learning for Library has a huge library of expert-led video tutorials that can help you launch that YouTube channel, take perfect photos, learn to code, or write a hit song. You can even get the app on your phone so you can learn something new anytime, anywhere. Here are a few of our favourite courses that you can access for free. All you need is a library membership to get started (no library card? Get it online and start using it immediately).AnimationEver imagined yourself working in an animation studio? You’re just a few clicks away from getting started in Animation. This course teaches you the basics of how to animate a 2D animal walk cycle, but Lynda offers courses on 3D animation and more advanced techniques as well.PodcastingYou’ve got an idea you want to share with the world, but you’re not sure how to get started. Why not learn how to Produce a Podcast? This course will introduce you to the information and equipment you need to get started so you can begin self-producing your podcast from anywhere. SongwritingWriting a great song isn’t always as easy as it looks, but it can be easier with a little instruction. Whether you’re just writing for fun or an aspiring musician, you’ll find proven tips and tricks to up your lyrical game in this course on Songwriting.Playing GuitarHave an instrument that’s collecting dust? Take music lessons for a variety of instruments, like Acoustic Guitar, or amp up the energy in your house with some Rock Guitar lessons. You can go at your own pace and take the lessons anywhere with you (we think playing the guitar on the front porch sounds like a nice way to spend an afternoon).YouTubingStarting a YouTube channel is one thing but creating engaging content that gets views can be a challenge. Led by viral video creator Ash Blodgett, YouTube Tips Weekly teaches you everything from how to properly host a giveaway to how to monetize your channel. If you’ve got the equipment and the passion, this course is your launch pad to YouTube success.GamingHave you considered turning your love of gaming into a career? This course on Careers in the Gaming Industry will teach you the concepts and skills required to be successful in the modern game industry — whether you want to build and finance your own game or land a job at a triple-A studio, with an indie team, or in mobile gaming. PhotographyYou don’t need an expensive camera to start expressing yourself through great photos. Whether you’re an aspiring influencer or casual photographer, learn how to up your smartphone photography game with this course in Mobile Photography. If you want to create amazing visual art with your camera, check out this course in Creative Photography Techniques. CodingGet started in a powerful coding language with Python for Students. If you’re interested in automation, game development, or web programming, dive into this introductory Python course designed specifically for high school students. By the end, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to build a complete Python project. Want even more free things to do at home? Be sure to check out our Library at Home section for more resources like these.Not yet a member? Sign up for your free Library card and start using it immediately.
Read more about "Stories LinkedIn Learning for Library for Teens"A Library card is good for more than just books. Your free membership gives you access to a number of streaming services and online materials. When you get your Library card, you can save on these subscriptions: Do you subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Video? Try Kanopy instead. Stream up to 10 free movies and TV shows per month. Plus, with the newly added Kanopy Kids, you can easily find age-appropriate programming for your kids to watch. You might end up reconsidering your subscriptions to Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Prime Music after you try Freegal Music. Freegal Music will have you jamming at work and the weekends; listen to three hours of music per day and download up to five songs per week. Unlimited eBooks are available with more than Kindle Unlimited. Use Libby, your library on-the-go, to download more than 50,000 titles. Read eBooks or listen to eAudiobooks for free on your device. Subscribe to Audible? Again, see Libby. She’s the best friend you never knew you needed. Love staying-up-to-date on the world around you with The Globe and Mail, National Geographic, or The Economist? You can, for free, with your Library card. Access your favourite magazines and newspapers online with Flipster Magazines and PressReader. Love flipping through Vogue or Cosmopolitan? Stay in the know on upcoming trends and celebrities with Libby, where you can read current issues of thousands of magazines from around the world. Your total monthly savings: $73.94. Make the switch today.
Read more about "Stories Six Subscriptions You Can Save On With a Library Card"By day, Sean Brown is a software developer specializing in video game development. By night, he lends his expertise to the Calgary Public Library, volunteering for coding programs for kids and teens.It all started three years ago, when Sean graduated from university with a degree in Computer Science. He was looking to volunteer and knew the Library offered free coding programs. “It seemed like a really good fit,” he says.Sean, who had no previous volunteer experience, quickly settled into the new role. He’s now contributed more than 250 volunteer hours through different Library tech programs at Judith Umbach, Crowfoot, and Central.“I just like coming in and helping out,” Sean says. “It feels really good to go home from the end of a shift and think about all the people you helped.” Another benefit is meeting fellow volunteers, Sean says. “I’ve met a lot of really great friends from the programs.”At Central, Sean has helped two new tech programs get off to a strong start. He volunteered during the pilot for the VR Explorers program, where kids join an immersive journey with Google Expeditions using virtual reality headsets.He also volunteers every week as a Teen Tech Lab Guide for the new Open Lab program, where teens drop in and explore their interests through a range of technologies, from robots to sewing machines.Sean helps teens learn how to code using robots that can be programmed to complete actions — like somersaults and headstands — and respond to interactions. He also enjoys mentoring more experienced teen coders and sharing what it’s like to work in the tech industry.Maja Milavic, a volunteer coordinator at the Library, says Sean has excelled at each of the programs he’s volunteered with. He’s a reliable volunteer who is softspoken, kind, and easy to get along with.“He’s there for the fun, the camaraderie, for helping teens, and for supporting the Library,” she says.If you’d like to join the Library’s team of youth or adult volunteers, please visit the Volunteers page.
Read more about "Stories Meet our Volunteers: Sean Brown Sean found volunteering to be a good fit with his interests and expertise"To mark National Aboriginal History Month in June 2017, Calgary Public Library is displaying Indigenous art at four libraries.Samuel BighettySamuel Bighetty’s art tells the story of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in Pukatawagan, Manitoba. Using bright, beautiful colours, his artwork tells the story of hardships and change. Bighetty describes such change through the analogy of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. “It looks real ugly, walking on the ground,” Bighetty says. “A caterpillar doesn’t know it’s going to turn into something beautiful. [Then] it changes, flies around, has all the colours.” Jessica Liening-WolfeIndigenous artist Jessica Liening-Wolfe showcases her Ojibway culture through traditional beadwork and jewelry. “My mother was a former student of the residential school, so she didn’t grow up with her culture or her language, so I feel that it is up to me to go out there and regain this knowledge,” says Liening-Wolfe. Taylor McPhersonThrough her artistic journey, Taylor McPherson has reclaimed her Miawpukek identity, and is now challenging people to see past stereotypes with her work. Her self-portrait, titled “Identity,” has been displayed across Canada, and found a new home at Judith Umbach Library in June 2017. “To have people recognize my Aboriginal work really means a lot, because I feel a lot of people have been more appreciative in learning about the stories behind it,” McPherson says. Nathan MeguinisNathan Meguinis started drawing at the age of five. His artwork today reflects the deep roots of his Tsuut’ina culture and heritage. Meguinis says what makes Tsuut’ina art distinctive in style is its reflection of Tsuut’ina history and spiritual connections: a belief in one God, one creation, and everything being intertwined. He strives to give people a deeper understanding of his traditional culture through his art. “I’m hoping to enlighten people about the realities that my people faced through my artwork, and at the same time share my culture,” Meguinis says.
Read more about "Stories Indigenous Art Featured at Calgary Public Library"Three Ways to Celebrate Freedom to Read Week Even in 2018, books are still being challenged and facing formal attempts of removal from schools and libraries. Freedom to Read Week, running from Sunday, February 25 to Saturday, March 3, 2018, is an annual event encouraging Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Here are three ways Calgarians can participate:1. Pick up a Challenged BookOn Monday, Feburary 26, Bill Ptacek, Calgary Public Library CEO, will launch Freedom to Read Week in Calgary by presenting Mayor Naheed Nenshi and City Council with a copy of This One Summer. Written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki, the award-winning graphic novel is a coming of age story set in Ontario’s cottage country about two preteen friends.This One Summer was named the most challenged book in 2016 by the American Library Association. The book includes LGBT characters, drug use and profanity, and is considered sexually explicit with mature themes. School libraries in Florida and Minnesota have removed the book from shelves, a move protested by free-speech groups.2. Celebrate Rebel Readers On Monday, February 26, from 5:30 to 7 pm, join us for Freedom to Read Week activities at Memorial Park Library. Discover an assortment of “rebel” activities on the Main Floor, including banned books trivia and mugshots, readings from censored LGBTQ content by local drag queen royalty, and a curated collection of books and videos from the Calgary Outlink LGBTQ Library and Fairy Tales Presentation Society. Ages 16 and up. Doors open at 5 pm. The collection will be on display until Sunday, March 4.Then, from 7 to 8 pm, Wordfest, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and Calgary Public Library are teaming up to present a surprise, incendiary program on This One Summer. Head to the Second Floor for a discussion about the censorship and controversy surrounding Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki’s This One Summer. Anne Logan, of the website I’ve Read This, hosts the discussion.3. Flaunt Banned BooksShop the Calgary Public Library Foundation’s Library Store and flaunt banned books. Put a sock in censorship with banned books socks, pour your favourite hot drink into the banned books mug and watch as banned book titles begin to appear, stay warm with a banned books scarf, and brighten up your restricted reading section with a banned books matchbox set. Plus, every purchase through librarystore.ca supports the essential work of Calgary Public Library and enhances programs, services, and collections.
Read more about "Stories"Library Donors Invest in Local History and Invite Calgarians to Do the Same MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 24, 2018Calgary, AB—Local history supporters and cultural philanthropists Walt and Irene DeBoni announced a $1 million gift to Calgary Public Library in support of the Library’s local history collection today."Walt and Irene are passionate advocates of Calgary’s history, and have supported the Library’s local history collection for a number of years," said Christine Gingerick, Donor Relations Manager at the Calgary Public Library Foundation. "As we enter Historic Calgary Week, we are delighted to share that the Library has chosen to honour the DeBoni’s with the naming of Calgary’s Story at the new Central Library."Calgary’s Story, presented by Walt and Irene DeBoni, brings Calgary’s and Southern Alberta’s history and heritage to life. Through collections, programs and a digital kiosk, visitors will be able to dive into some of the many stories from Calgary’s past, explore their family history and see photographs of what Calgary looked like at the turn of the century. The feature area will be located on the fourth level of the new Central Library, which Calgarians can explore when the new Central Library opens on November 1, 2018."The Library is a community resource accessible to all, and as history-lovers, it means so much to us to share our story within its newest location," says Walt DeBoni. "We want to invite Calgarians to share their stories by leaving their mark on the new Central Library as a part of the Windows of Opportunity Campaign."Calgarians can choose from three distinct levels of supporting the Library through the Windows of Opportunity Campaign; $100, $2,018 and $5,000. Each level offers different benefits, and all three include adding an inscription to a new Central Library window frame. All donations will support life-changing programs and services at libraries across Calgary. For more information, visit mylibrarywindow.ca.Walt and Irene DeBoni are Founding Partners 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. The Calgary Public Library Foundation has surpassed $326 million of its $350 million goal for Add In.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"$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"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"What will you do? Volunteers help Library patrons learn and practice computer skills in a one-on-one environment, including (but not limited to) the use of the Internet, software applications, coding, social media, and mobile devices. Learning looks different for every patron and may take place on Library PCs, Chromebooks, or the patron’s own personal devices. Program Length: 1.5 to two hours What’s in it for you? Meet new people and explore new opportunities Help individuals develop their technology skills Have fun and contribute to your community Develop leadership, problem-solving, communication, and time management skills
Read more about "What will you do? What’s in it for you?"This collection of fiction, memoir and and graphic novels captures the strength of the protagonists as they challenge colonial powers and ideologies.
Read more about "Residential Schools: Books for Teens"