Most Libraries have community meeting rooms that you can book with your library card. Visit Book a Meeting Space for more information.
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"Interested in fiction featuring LGBTQ+ characters and perspectives? Try these recommendations by selecting Fiction A to Z and then LGBTQIA Fiction.
Read more about "Novelist Plus "History of Quarry Park Library Quarry Park Library opened on July 2, 2016, and is located inside the Remington YMCA in Quarry Park. It was built to better serve the rapidly expanding community previously served by Glenmore Square Library. It is currently the only location in our system to have bookable meeting rooms available after hours, when the rest of the Library is closed. It was also the pilot location for Read and Play kits, take-home early learning development kits loaned to families across Calgary. Prior to development in 2006, the neighbourhood the Library is located in was a gravel quarry for over 50 years, which is how it got its name.
Read more about "History of Quarry Park Library"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"Borrow books, digital books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers, and even musical instruments from our collection of nearly 1.4 million items.
Read more about "Print for Free"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"Book an appointment to meet with a career coach
Read more about "Need help with your job search? "See which books you have checked out, on hold, or overdue.
Read more about "Log into My Catalogue Account"Snuggle up with these books to learn about interacting kindly.
Read more about "Let's Talk about Sharing "Read full-text and full-colour eBooks for learners of all ages. Students will enjoy the DK Eyewitness book series on everything from animals and weather, to history and technology. All readers will find the information they need to level-up their skills in coding, writing and math. Entrepreneurs will want to explore handbooks for small business, marketing and all aspects of running your business. Not sure how to start? Watch the tutorial in Niche Academy: Gale eBooks tutorial
Read more about "Educational eBooks. Always available."The more reading a student does (whether it’s over the summer or during the school year), the more opportunity they have to build and strengthen their comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking skills, background knowledge and efficiency. Research has shown that children without summer reading and learning support may lose one to three months of the reading skills they built in the previous school year. This, in addition to a disrupted and stressful school year, might leave families wondering, how can we keep reading and learning this summer, while still having fun?Join the Ultimate Summer ChallengeBlast off to free summer fun with the Ultimate Summer Challenge at Calgary Public Library. Kids ages 0 – 12 can reach reading milestones, complete activities, and attend free interactive online programs. Those ages 13 – 17 can join the Teen Takeover. Registration automatically enters you to win prizes that are out of this world! Tracking your progress online helps you earn badges and qualify for weekly prizes.Sign up for Ultimate Summer ChallengeRead aloudA great way to expose kids to books that are slightly outside their range is by reading more difficult books aloud. Generally, it is good for kids to read things at their independent level and be read to at a higher level because it helps to build vocabulary and helps makes the listener a better reader.Do something unexpectedRead in unexpected places and ways, like a tent or around the campfire. Switch roles and have kids read to you at their bedtime!ListenListening to audiobooks counts as reading too! Listening to books can be a great way to immerse yourself in a series and can make a long car trip fly by. Download kids audiobooks for free with your Library card in our Digital Library.Browse audiobooksRead before you watchRead the book before you watch the movie. Why not start a family book club this summer and invite grandparents who live far away to read the book too? Check out great online videos of Canadian author readings and illustrator demos from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.Go to Canadian Children’s Book CentreShare through a book swapKids love to read recommendations from friends. This summer ask a group of friends to bring three to five titles over for a book swap. Kids will ask each other about the books and you'll naturally get the same kind of conversations that go on in the classroom.Get recommendations from the LibraryNeed new ideas? The Library is always a good place to start looking for children’s books. Check out our recommended reads for summer.See the listThis blog post is published as part of The Kitchen Table Classroom: A Series to Support Learning from Home, a partnership with Edmonton Public Library. Visit our website for information on the next live, online workshop in the series and for more tips and tools to support learning from home.
Read more about "Stories Top Tips for Reading and Learning All Summer Long The Kitchen Table Classroom: Slide into Summer"Norma High, a volunteer who joined the Library in 1974, is so passionate about bringing books to people who can not otherwise access them that she got her whole family involved in the cause.For nearly 44 years, Norma has volunteered with the Libraries in Residence program, delivering books to people in a continuing care facility. Norma, 85, is one of the Library’s longest-serving volunteers.“I have always had a love for books,” Norma said. She loves visiting and bringing books to residents at Carewest Glenmore Park, an Alberta Health Services facility in southwest Calgary. With her background in nursing, Norma is a perfect fit for delivering books to the hospital’s residents.“Volunteering is giving, giving back to the community, giving back because I can,” she said. “We want to put a little bit of sunshine into people’s lives.”Norma’s husband, Bob High, started volunteering with Libraries in Residence in 1985.“Besides delivering books, it was an opportunity to talk about local history and events with the residents,” said Bob, 88. He would sometimes go in place of Norma and went on to build his own relationships with the long-term care residents.“It gives you a lot of satisfaction,” Bob said.Hearing stories from residents and discussing books with them led Norma to share her experiences with her children, and later her grandchildren. Norma started to bring her son and daughter to volunteer with her when they were 13 and 11.During their days off from school and over summer break, Alan High and Glenna High Bagley started to love volunteering. Norma saw her children learn how to share, and in Glenna’s case, she came out of her shell.“I absolutely loved it,” Glenna said. She remembers being initially nervous around elderly people as a child, but she soon came to love delivering books and visiting with people. She said her son, Matthew, was as shy as she was when he started volunteering at the age of eight with his sister Taylor, age ten.“I am so proud of my children and grandchildren,” Norma said.Norma, who is called the “book lady” by hospital residents, found that residents rely on her book delivery every two weeks. One resident said books were more important than her bath, because books were what kept her at peace while in the hospital.Norma and Bob, who have lived in Calgary for 48 years, keep a private collection of every genre of book you can think of. They enjoy travelling and have visited many places in Canada and around the world. On their travels, they pick up books to add to their catalogued collection — the oldest one being from the 1850s.That extensive home library is popular with Norma’s children and grandchildren, who regularly borrow books from it. When they find a book they like and want to “inherit”, they mark it with their own coloured dot.Norma continues to share her love of reading with hospital residents, and plans to for as long as she can — “until I fall over, or until I can’t push the cart anymore,” she said.The High and Bagley families are leaving their three-generation legacy in another way, too. They are commemorating their love of reading and dedication to volunteering with two windows at the new Central Library.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 Give Back Because I Can’ Norma High delivers the joy of reading to others in her Library Story"As Calgary Public Library moves into the new Central Library in East Village, we’re also saying goodbye to Central Library, our beloved downtown home for more than 50 years. In this month’s Library Stories, longtime staff, volunteers, and patrons reflect on their favourite memories and spots at Central Library. What’s your favourite memory of Central Library? Share in the comments at the bottom.Maureen Proctor, Library VolunteerPictured at Engine 23 on the main floor“This fire truck is my favourite part of Central Library. It’s just such a welcoming thing for children, for people of all ages. It’s always the first thing I look at when I come to Central. I come here to volunteer, mostly with the Library’s Special Events team, including events at the John Dutton Theatre. I’ve volunteered at various libraries since 2002, starting with the TD Read with Me Program. I still volunteer with the program and am mentoring an eight-year-old girl."I started volunteering because I wanted to give back. I like the fact the Library is open to everyone, people from all walks of life. The Library provides really incredible services — and the price is right! I’m excited about everything at the new Central Library, especially the Maureen Proctor Reading Nook. I’m volunteering to lead tours at the new Central Library, and I can’t wait.”Susanna Hartmann, Customer Services ClerkPictured at her desk on the third floor“This move, it’s like when you give up a family home. This has been my home for 35 years. This was my first job in Canada when I came from Hungary, and my only job since, my life. So, this is really like leaving a family home — the only home you’ve ever known, behind, and starting all over again. It’s very exciting, but you know, it’s just as sad at the same time."There are so many memories. We had so many friendships develop here. We had parties, we had baby showers, and welcomed new family members. We had retirement parties and Christmas celebrations. I built my life here. If I could say just one thing to this building, it would just be ‘I love you.’ I love you, I love you! I will never forget you. It is very sad for me to leave this place, but I know it will be good, and I know our new home will awe everybody."Jerry Fawcett, Civic Literacy LibrarianPictured in the Law section on the third floor“The third floor at Central has been my home for much of my Library career [since the fall of 1989, after starting at what is now Judith Umbach Library]. Many patrons come to the Library trying to deal with difficult life circumstances, which frequently touch on legal matters. Providing basic information or informed referrals often can get them started towards resolution."I am frequently reminded how simply listening, showing compassion, and making appropriate referrals can make a difference in someone’s day. I hope the new Central Library will continue to be a place where people who need help feel welcome and safe.”Gerry Burger-Martindale, Senior Transition LeadPictured near the east windows on the third floor“I’ve worked on the third floor since 1982, and it used to be such a dark floor. On the east side there were what we always assumed were fake window frames, with horrible 40-year-old Mylar covering the glass. The old Remand Centre and courtrooms were smack up against the east side, so you’d think it was one building. Then, when they were removing those buildings (moving to the new courthouse and renovating for Bow Valley College), they removed those buildings and left us standing — and suddenly there was light!"Morning light is so amazing in Calgary. In short order we started picking off the Mylar … and we could see out to the east. Now the seats in the east windows are the most popular."Unfortunately, only the third floor benefitted in this way, as we were the only floor with the “fake” windows, except for the women’s washroom on the north side — from where you could see beautiful sunrises, but someone was concerned about our modesty and covered it up with Mylar!”Bill Dyck, PatronPictured at his favourite reading nook on the third floor“I come to the library just about every day. It’s quiet, it’s a place to go — plus, I mean, books! I usually finish one or two a day, but always at least one. I read about 300 books a year, and if I were to buy them, they’d be hugely expensive. And if you buy it, so what? Then you own a book, but you only really read it once, maybe twice if it was really good. You can always check out a book again if you want to. Or come sit and read."This is just a really nice, quiet, private spot where you can sit and nobody bothers you. You can relax. It’s peaceful. It’s consistent. You know when it’s open, no surprises. And when I finish the books, I like going to [listen to] the author speak. Just about anybody can write a book, but why did you write this book? Why did you need to tell this story? Why write about aliens? What were you thinking? As a reader, you wonder. That’s the kind of stuff I want to know.”Kevin Allen, Incoming Historian in ResidencePictured in the Local History Room on the fourth floor“I started work here in 1989 when I was 18 as a Sunday circulation employee. I worked here all throughout my university years and early career — always part time. I eventually gravitated toward the magazine and newspaper department, stored in the basement, that was tragically flooded back in 2013. That was heartbreaking for me because I had spent so many years walking through those stacks."When I started Calgary Gay History Projectopens a new window in 2012, I went back to magazines and newspapers and luckily pulled a bunch of citations before they were washed away. These included old issues of Macleans and Chatelaine magazines from the 1960s, as they were among the first publications to feature articles sympathetic to gay and lesbian people. Of course, I spent a lot of time in this Local History Room."I think there’s something really important in large urban centres about the big, downtown library as a repository for researchers and access to information in general. I feel like the Central Library historically, and hopefully into the future, will be that place for Calgarians.”David Plouffe, Library VolunteerPictured at the Idea Lab on the fifth floor“My relationship to Central Library has been that of a living book, a volunteer, and as an Idea Coach. Central Library is also the place I pick up my books when I work downtown."As an Idea Coach, I always ask this question: what seed might we plant together today that can make the most difference to your idea? Planting that seed and encouraging the minds of Calgarians is what being an Idea Coach is all about."Moving from this space over to the new Central Library, I think people will not only be drawn into the space, but in awe of it. Even better is that it’s a space for patrons, whether they’re reading, using the computers, or visiting the Idea Lab. Being an Idea Coach, I think the space will help stimulate new thoughts and ways of thinking.”Richmond N’goran, PatronPictured on the fifth floor“I come here three times a week, sometimes more. I come here to use a Chromebook, or sometimes I take books from the third floor. If you’re looking for a certain book, people are always there to help you find it. And if it’s not in, they’ll let you know about other books. I like to do homework here, because there’s all the necessary things I need."I usually come here from school. I’m studying English now at SAIT, and in the winter I will start my main program, Architectural Technologies. I came to Calgary almost three years ago, from Ivory Coast, and did not know any English. I like all the services provided at the Library. If you can’t get a Chromebook here on the fifth floor, you can go to the third floor and use a computer for two hours. I also read eBooks online, and I like that too.”We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories 'There Are So Many Memories' Patrons, volunteers, and staff talk about their favourite spots in the old Central Library building"Find the perfect picture book for story time, practice reading with books for beginning readers, and enjoy chapter books from all of your favourite series. You can also find homework help, learn about your favourite topics and even do fun crafts and activities. Have stories read to you with hundreds of audiobooks and readalongs. Listen or read on your computer, or take the book on the go by downloading it to the Libby app.
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