You can read all about and register for our programs online here. Calgary Public Library programming is currently happening online, with plans to begin some in-person programs at select locations April 4.
Low-income Calgarians can apply for programs, services, and fee assistance.
Read more about "Fair Entry"Get ready for fun, hands-on arts activities for kids.
Read more about "Make it Messy Art: Ages 9 to 12"The Historian in Residence is a six-month paid residency that supports individual researchers working in any genre related to the social, cultural and built history of Calgary, Treaty 7 and Métis Region 3.They deliver free programs and act as a mentor to historians, writers, and researchers through individual consultations, and curate an exhibit at Central Library.Presented in partnership with Heritage Calgary.
Read more about "Chat about Calgary's past."Fair Entry Service at Village Square Library Today the City of Calgary opened two new customer service locations for its Fair Entry subsidized services application process. This new application process means that Calgarians applying for City-subsidized programs apply only once to have their income qualified for all five programs.Prior to the introduction of Fair Entry, Calgarians who wanted to access any of the fee subsidy programs at the City would have to apply and prove their eligibility separately for each program.The Calgary Public Library is pleased to partner with the City of Calgary to create a service counter location for the City's Fair Entry program at Village Square Library, in addition to the service location on the 3rd floor of the Municipal Building.Learn more about the Fair Entry program on the City's website.
Read more about "Stories"We're currently looking for volunteers for this program! Volunteer positions are available at Southwood, Giuffre Family, Quarry Park, Judith Umbach, Forest Lawn and Nicholls Family libraries . If you're interested in volunteering, please complete an application and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Read more about "We're currently looking for volunteers for this program!"This 3-week Robotics Workshop introduces you to robotics and basic programming. Complete three separate challenges including brainstorming a plan, building the LEGO Mindstorms...
Read more about "Robogals Robotics Workshop: Build and Program a LEGO Mindstorm Robot"Low-income Calgarians can apply for programs, services, and fee assistance.
Read more about "Fair Entry"Students can learn the difference between fact and fiction with free programs and resources.
Read more about "Media Literacy Week"We're currently looking for volunteers for this program! Volunteer positions are now available at Nose Hill, Quarry Park, Fish Creek, Sage Hill and Crowfoot libraries. If you're interested in volunteering, please complete an application and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Read more about "We're currently looking for volunteers for this program!"The Library’s vibrant and quality programming for children is made possible with the help and the dedication of student volunteers. Their passion and support in mentoring younger students makes these programs come alive, leaving a lasting positive impact on both participants and volunteers. The Bright Futures Scholarship provides three scholarships, one valued at $3,500 and two valued at $1,000 each to young Library volunteers who are committed, enthusiastic, and takes initiative in their volunteer role. The scholarship is made possible by a gift from Barbara Killick, formerly a senior staff member at Calgary Public Library, and witness to the positive impact made by young volunteers on the lives of Calgarians. Meet the 2020 recipients of the Bright Futures Scholarship:Debadrita Chowdhury ($3,500 scholarship) Debadrita has been an enthusiastic volunteer in a variety of Library youth programs, including Reading Buddies and Make it Messy Art. She draws upon her volunteer experience at the Library to influence her work with students in the community. Inspired by the youth she mentored in Library programs, Debadrita started a poetry club for Grade 9 students at her school and helps them prepare for regional and national competitions. She is also a founding member of the Calgary Science Spelling Bee. After graduation, Debadrita plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.Keerthana Chockalingam ($1,000 scholarship) An active and engaged volunteer with the Library since 2016, Keerthana enjoys programs like Reading Buddies that help students develop their literacy and problem-solving skills. Her volunteer work at the Library inspires her to continually seek opportunities to engage with her community. She has volunteered with a variety of other local programs, including a summer camp for children with disabilities. Mentoring students in Library programs helped Keerthana discover a passion for working with children. She is now investigating a career path where she can combine her passion for health science and working in pediatrics.Risham Sharma ($1,000 scholarship) Risham has logged many volunteer hours with the Library and enjoys teaching technology to kids in programs like Coding Buddies. Volunteering with the Library motivated Risham to mentor students at her school in robotics and engineering programs, in addition to teaching coding to children fighting cancer at Alberta Children’s Hospital. Risham has been positively impacted by the relationships she formed in Library programs and enjoys seeing the outcomes of her coaching as students learn and grow. Risham is pursuing post-secondary study in Engineering. Congratulations to this year’s winners! Submissions for the 2021 Bright Futures Scholarship will open next spring.
Read more about "Stories"The Artist in Residence are paid community engagement residencies that support artists, collectives, and arts organizations working in Indigenous art and placemaking, children's art and illustration, or the Newcomer experience.Residents work in a designated space at Central Library and engage with the public at libraries across the city. The Newcomer Artist in Residence is generously supported by TD Bank Group.
Read more about "Bringing art into the Library."1. Use your Calgary Public Library card to access free eBooks. It’s easy to download eBooks onto a computer, smartphone, or tablet using our Digital Resources, including Libby, Overdrive, Gale Virtual Library, Read Alberta eBooks, and TumbleBookLibrary (just for kids). Happy reading!2. Love podcasts? You’re going to love audiobooks. Nothing makes your daily commute — or a long road trip — better than having the perfect audiobook to accompany you. 3. Did you know there are more than 60 free meeting rooms available at libraries across Calgary? Book a space for your business, not-for-profit, study group, book club, or event.4. Early Learning Centres! These free spaces, located in 12 libraries around Calgary, are designed to encourage young children to learn through play. Whimsical and wonderful, your kids are never going to want to leave the Library.5. It’s Sunday, you’re ready to hit print on your final paper for the semester. But oh no, you’re out of ink and your printer won’t stop jamming. What do you do? Come to the Library, of course! All Library members receive $5 of free printing each month. You’ll never be in another jam with a Library card.6. Read your favourite magazines for free with Digital Resources like Flipster Magazines. Flipster gives you access to Time, People, Us Weekly, Maclean’s, Canadian Geographic, Today’s Parent, and many more. Plus our Digital Resource National Geographic Virtual Library gives you access to every edition of National Geographic since 1888. Wow.7. You can use your Library card to borrow musical instruments! The Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library at Memorial Park Library has instruments including guitars, ukuleles, banjos, mandolins, violins, keyboards, and bongos. Plus, the Library offers a variety of free programs to help you learn a new instrument or develop your skills, and there’s also a Practice Room at Memorial Park Library —perfect for aspiring musicians — that can comfortably accommodate two people. What are you waiting for? Start learning a new instrument today.8. Programs, programs, and more programs... and they’re all free. Calgary Public Library has programs for babies, families, kids, teens, adults, seniors, newcomers, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking for learning and enrichment. Discover a world of free programs with Library Connect, our program guide, or search our programs online to find what you’re looking for. We ♥ programs!9. More into listening to music than learning to play it? Stream free music on Freegal, a music service with nearly 13 million songs. Download five free songs per week and listen to three hours of streaming per day.10. Looking to learn another language? The Library has got you covered. Get free access to language learning Digital Resources including Rosetta Stone Library Solution and Pronunciator.11. Low-income Calgarians with a City of Calgary Recreation Fee Assistance card can use the Library to access arts and culture events, including the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Lunchbox Theatre, Alberta Ballet and more. Learn about how the Sun Life Financial Arts + Culture Pass works.12. Love learning? So do we! Take free online courses at Lynda.com and Gale Courses. The interactive, instructor-led online courses cover topics like business skills, web design, photography, graphic design, and much more.13. Attention all movie buffs! Access more than 30,000 films for free with Kanopy. Watch award-winning documentaries and acclaimed films, rare and hard-to-find titles, must-see classic films, Canadian cinema selections, and an array of foreign language films.14. Love books? Love talking about books? Love listening to others talk about books? Join a book discussion group. Discover a new bestseller or relive a favourite classic book at monthly Book Discussion Groups, facilitated by trained Library volunteers. The Library will also lend you the book; just ask at the Library service desk. Want to host your own book club? The Library makes it extra easy with our Book Club in a Bag.15. Read thousands of popular newspapers, including local and international newspapers in multiple languages, with PressReader. Read on your browser or mobile device… no more ink-stained fingers for you!
Read more about "Stories 15 Library Perks You Need to Know About Now"The new year is a popular time to set goals for the months ahead. Let the Library help you make those resolutions stick! With hundreds of free resources, programs, and books at your fingertips, we’re confident that you can crush this year’s goals.Get activeIf taking better care of your health is on your list this year, but you know you won’t follow through with a gym membership, join us for some fun, free exercise at the Library. Put your best foot forward at Swingin’ Sundays or loosen up with Yoga at Central Library. Learn some easy new meals from our Eat Clean booklist, and research ways of improving your wellness using Health Source.Watch your walletIf money is on your mind after an expensive holiday season, sign up for free finance programs to learn how to take control of your money, curb your spending, and grow your wealth. Staff-curated titles can also help you Tighten Your Financial Belt.Learn a new languageOn Rosetta Stone, you can learn over 30 languages, including Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, and Persian (Farsi), for free with your Library card, or improve your English skills with interactive lessons. If you prefer in-person instruction, stop by an ESL Coffee and Conversation meeting, or visit the Indigenous Languages Resource Centre. Treaty 7 Language Books are also available to sign out at several community libraries.Make some memoriesLooking for a new way to spend quality time with loved ones this year? Free drop-in programs like Chess in the Library, Crack the Code, and Firefighter Storytime are fun for every age, while little learners in particular will love exploring our Early Learning Centres. Back at home, have a free movie night with selections from Kanopy. You can also check out Ancestry for free during your next Library visit to learn about the family you didn’t know you had.Read moreWe knew you would ask — and we’ve got tips to help you fit more books into your busy schedule. Can’t decide what to read first? Check out our staff-curated booklists to get some ideas to suit your interests. Make reading an event by joining a Book Discussion Group or signing out a Book Club in a Bag with friends. Save some money and cancel subscriptions — you can turn your mobile device into an eReader and audiobook player all in one with Libby and take your book everywhere you go.Sign up for your free Library card to get started!
Read more about "Stories New Year, New You with Library Resources"CALGARY, AB – Today, Linda and Mike Shaikh, local philanthropists and community-builders, announced a gift to support school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic and over the summer months when school is out.“When schools closed mid-March, thousands of parents in our city found themselves home-schooling. Education is deeply important to our family, and we want to ensure Calgary’s children have the tools they need to continue their life-long learning journey, whether they’re learning remotely or out of school during the summer,” says Mike Shaikh.Summer Slide refers to the annual challenge for school-aged children to retain learning achievements from the previous school year over the summer months. Summer Slide can disproportionately affect students from lower-income households, creating gaps amongst peers and a harder return to school in September.“Summer Slide is something the Library addresses every year through our Ultimate Summer Challenge, but this year due to COVID-19, the program had to move to a virtual environment,” says Kate Schutz, Service Design Lead for school-age programming at the Calgary Public Library. “This funding allows us to create more online engagement opportunities and provide students with fun, curriculum-connected resources to prepare them for school success and help families navigate this challenging time.”The Shaikh’s gift will support programs and resources for school-aged children at the Library, including: Collections; Beanstack, a free app that encourages children to read with customized reading lists and challenges; and the Ultimate Summer Challenge, the Library’s popular annual summer kids program. Last year, Calgary kids and teens recorded nearly 300,000 hours of reading over the summer.Ultimate Summer Challenge registration is free and can be completed online or at any reopened Library location. In addition to tracking reading hours with a printable Challenge Map, kids can now earn digital badges through Beanstack by completing reading goals and learn at home activities.Teens can complete online challenges and creative projects to earn more chances at winning a prize. Everyone who registers for the Ultimate Summer Challenge is entered into the grand prize draw for amazing items, including iPads, Chromebooks, or customized picture books.The Ultimate Summer Challenge is part of the TD Summer Reading Club, which is a national program for kids in Canadian public libraries. The Ultimate Summer Challenge is also supported by J K L MacLachlan Family Fund. Visit calgarylibrary.ca/summer for more information and to register.In 2015, Linda and Mike Shaikh made a $1 million leadership donation to the Calgary Public Library Foundation, which was recognized with the naming of the Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery in Central Library.- 30 -Calgary Public LibraryCalgary Public Library, with 740,000 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 15 million physical and digital items and with over 7 million in-person visits last year.Calgary Public Library FoundationThe Calgary Public Library Foundation empowers people to make a difference in their community. All donations received through the Library Foundation cultivate innovation and bring the Library to those who need it most. Our 21,500 donors are helping to build a stronger Calgary.Media Contacts:Nina RehillAccount ExecutiveEdelman403.630.6055Nina.Rehill@edelman.comRachael TernerCommunications ManagerCalgary Public Library Foundation403.774.2543rachael@libraryfoundation.ca
Read more about "Stories Gift from Local Philanthropists Help Calgary Students Learn Over the Summer Funds support Calgary Public Library programs to address learning challenges during COVID-19"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"