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Scottie Grinton is a longtime Library member, a voracious reader who upped his visits when he became a father and started bringing his young son. Then in the mid ’90s, with his marriage on the rocks, the Library took on new meaning to him.“The Library deserves a bunch of credit for contributing to the saving of my sanity and my spirit,” he says.Scottie says he’s not the kind of guy that escapes to bars and clubs. Instead, the Library became his refuge.“It was a place I could go and feel safe and I could take time for myself, both in terms of escape, like reading fiction, and in terms of the sort of things I needed to keep my head on straight, like looking up counselling services,” he says.Scottie visited Nose Hill Library a few times a week. During those visits, Scottie remembers smiling Library staff who would always say hello. He found joy being in a comfortable place and devouring works of fiction. “There’s nothing safer than a book,” he says. Scottie gravitated to a diverse assortment of genres: cheesy spy thrillers, science fiction, classics he never read in high school (like Lord of the Flies), and summer reads.“I was lost,” he remembers. “When a marriage breaks down — even if a marriage ending is a good thing — your foundation is shaken up. I was looking for a place where I could feel emotionally safe and secure, and I found that at the Library.”Looking back now, Scottie says time, work, and creativity helped him get through a tough divorce. He also focused on being a good dad, and that meant lots of time spent reading with his son.In later years, when Scottie and his son moved to a south Calgary neighbourhood, the Giuffre Family Library (formerly Alexander Calhoun Library) became their home Library. “I really like this location because there’s an intimacy here,” he says.Scottie sees immense value in libraries, for being buildings full of books and resources, and welcoming places for people. “There’s such a need for community, for people coming together,” he says. He considers libraries valuable public spaces, quite unlike anywhere else in the city.Today, Scottie’s life is much different than it was in the ‘90s. He is happily remarried and works as a Realtor and a part-time actor. His wife, also a Realtor, is a writer with two books on the Library’s shelves.Now a grandpa, Scottie is proud that his three young grandchildren love reading. And Scottie still enjoys escaping into a good read; he loves plays, science fiction, mystery, and biographies, and is currently raving about The Essay.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘A Safe Place’ Scottie Grinton's Library Story helped him find hope during hard times"Over four frigid days in December 2017, people gathered in the John Dutton Theatre at Central Library for Creation Lodge, listening as Elders Jerry and Jo-Ann Saddleback warmly shared Cree creation stories.Creation Lodge is about “reclaiming our way of life, one story at a time,” said organizer William Bellegarde, an Assiniboine Cree man from Saskatchewan who lives in Calgary. A small group of people, including Bellegarde, started Creation Lodge in Calgary in the fall of 2016.The events aim to fill a void. Many Indigenous people do not know their creation story, Bellegarde said, or they only know pieces. But such stories are foundational, filled with values and learning.“They’re so important, because those stories have a way of governing family, politics, so many things. But we’re missing them,” Bellegarde said. “We want to bring creation stories back into the fold.”The grassroots events are hosted at various venues and intended for anyone, with special efforts made to reach people who are homeless.At each Creation Lodge, a story keeper tells oral stories over multiple days. The audience members simply listen; there are no videos, sound effects, or distractions. “When you hear the story you create the pictures, you create the imagery based on what you know,” Bellegarde said. “You become actively involved by listening.”At the free drop-in Creation Lodge program at Central Library Dec 27 - 30, 2017, Elder Jerry Saddleback spoke animatedly and at length. Saddleback, a member of the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alberta, recited far-reaching stories to a rapt audience, shared his profound knowledge on Cree history and traditions, and taught Cree words.The rich days of learning were intended to give people a “holistic perspective,” Saddleback said. “I’m hoping and praying that the younger generation will pick up on it, and I’m confident that they are. Many are sitting here today, and I’m very thankful for that,” he told the audience.Creation Lodge has garnered positive feedback, from both the storytellers sharing teachings and the people coming to listen, Bellegarde said.For non-Indigenous people, Creation Lodge offers a powerful opportunity to hear and recognize stories that have long been pushed aside, under past government policies of assimilation. “It’s important for reconciliation, and it’s important for one culture’s religious beliefs not dominating another’s,” Bellegarde said.He’s also heard from Indigenous people who describe Creation Lodge as “like going home.” “That really means a lot to me,” he said. “In terms of my worldview, home is a bigger thing. It means family, it means community, it means connection.”Bellegarde continues to work alongside a small steering committee, aiming to bring Creation Lodge to more people. There’s an appetite, he said, and a growing recognition of the power of story — to root people and connect them.“People are hungry,” Bellegarde said. “They want to hear more.”
Read more about "Stories Creation Lodge Gives Voice to Missing Stories"Read the latest news articles published in the New York Times online newspaper, or research history, technology, and politics in the archives. Find articles and editorials from 1851 to 1922, and 1981 to present.Note: The crossword and cooking sites are not available with this access.
Read more about "The latest news from the New York Times newspaper"Travel through time with characters in these books to the past or to the future.
Read more about "Journey of time"Welcome your baby to the Library. Enjoy songs, rhymes, and stories that will make your baby smile.
Read more about "Baby Rhyme Time - Virtual"Welcome your baby to the Library. Enjoy songs, rhymes, and stories that will make your baby smile.
Read more about "Baby Rhyme Time"Join us for a free screening of Love in the Time of Fentanyl, an intimate portrait of a community fighting to save lives and keep hope alive in a neighbourhood ravaged by the...
Read more about "Love in the Time of Fentanyl"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."Travel through time with characters in these books to the past or to the future.
Read more about "Journey of time"Fresh reads exploring the simple act of saving the world, one page at a time.
Read more about "Hero Time"A few times a month, Giselle Wong brings the Library directly to others. She’s a long time volunteer with Homebound Readers, a program for people of all ages with mobility or health concerns.The Library program is more than just a book delivery service. “It’s about companionship,” Wong says. The Calgarians she helps are delighted to have fresh books to read and a friendly face to talk to.Wong’s responsibilities include picking up holds or choosing materials, delivering those resources to elderly Library members, and returning their borrowed items. Often, she sticks around for a visit over tea. Wong enjoys those conversations; listening to stories from seniors gives her understanding into another generation, she says.The Homebound Readers program started in 1974, and continues to this day because of volunteers like Wong. Over the past 13 years, Wong has volunteered about 500 hours with the program.Wong works as a library assistant at an elementary school, and says volunteering is another way to share her deep love of libraries with others. That passion started when Wong was a youngster who spent extensive time at a public library in Ontario, learning English as a second language. “Libraries have changed me,” Wong says. “They opened my eyes to the world.”If you are interested in volunteering with the Library, please visit the Volunteers page.
Read more about "Stories Meet our Volunteers: Giselle Wong Giselle brings companionship and books to homebound readers"Travel through time with characters in these books to the past or to the future.
Read more about "Journey of time"Hurry, baby, it's time to go! Learn songs and rhymes about getting dressed, packing up, and getting out the door.
Read more about "It’s Go Time"Scottie Grinton is a longtime Library member, a voracious reader who upped his visits when he became a father and started bringing his young son. Then in the mid ’90s, with his marriage on the rocks, the Library took on new meaning to him.“The Library deserves a bunch of credit for contributing to the saving of my sanity and my spirit,” he says.Scottie says he’s not the kind of guy that escapes to bars and clubs. Instead, the Library became his refuge.“It was a place I could go and feel safe and I could take time for myself, both in terms of escape, like reading fiction, and in terms of the sort of things I needed to keep my head on straight, like looking up counselling services,” he says.Scottie visited Nose Hill Library a few times a week. During those visits, Scottie remembers smiling Library staff who would always say hello. He found joy being in a comfortable place and devouring works of fiction. “There’s nothing safer than a book,” he says. Scottie gravitated to a diverse assortment of genres: cheesy spy thrillers, science fiction, classics he never read in high school (like Lord of the Flies), and summer reads.“I was lost,” he remembers. “When a marriage breaks down — even if a marriage ending is a good thing — your foundation is shaken up. I was looking for a place where I could feel emotionally safe and secure, and I found that at the Library.”Looking back now, Scottie says time, work, and creativity helped him get through a tough divorce. He also focused on being a good dad, and that meant lots of time spent reading with his son.In later years, when Scottie and his son moved to a south Calgary neighbourhood, the Giuffre Family Library (formerly Alexander Calhoun Library) became their home Library. “I really like this location because there’s an intimacy here,” he says.Scottie sees immense value in libraries, for being buildings full of books and resources, and welcoming places for people. “There’s such a need for community, for people coming together,” he says. He considers libraries valuable public spaces, quite unlike anywhere else in the city.Today, Scottie’s life is much different than it was in the ‘90s. He is happily remarried and works as a Realtor and a part-time actor. His wife, also a Realtor, is a writer with two books on the Library’s shelves.Now a grandpa, Scottie is proud that his three young grandchildren love reading. And Scottie still enjoys escaping into a good read; he loves plays, science fiction, mystery, and biographies, and is currently raving about The Essay.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘A Safe Place’ Scottie Grinton's Library Story helped him find hope during hard times"Some fresh reads exploring the simple act of saving the world, one page at a time.
Read more about "Hero Time"