You can find books by searching the Library Catalogue. We also have staff recommendations and resources such as Novelist which can help you find the perfect read. Overdrive and the Overdrive APP Libby which offer a selection of eBook and eAudiobooks which you can access from home!
After years of discrimination, threats, and violence because of their sexual orientation, Boban Stojanovic and his partner fled Serbia in October 2016 and claimed refugee protection in Canada. As they adjusted to life as newcomers in Calgary, they began to hear a common question.“Everyone kept saying ‘have you been to the library?’” says Boban, a prominent Serbian human rights activist and key organizer of the Belgrade Pride Parade. “We were like, ‘OK, but why?’ In our culture, you don’t often go to the library. It’s not such an important institution in the everyday lives of people.”At the time, the couple were anxiously awaiting a government hearing to determine if they would be granted refugee status in Canada. Boban describes that period in their lives as a stressful grey zone. “You are in some kind of limbo,” he says. “You can’t make any concrete plan because you don’t know what will happen with you.”Looking for something to take their minds off the looming hearing, the couple heeded the advice they’d repeatedly heard from insistent Calgarians: visit the library. The newcomers walked to nearby Nose Hill Library and asked about becoming members.Boban remembers nervously unfolding his refugee claimant document, the lone piece of identification he had. To his surprise, a Library employee politely handed the paper back and explained that just his full name and address were required for a free Library card.“In Serbia, everything is very bureaucratic,” Boban says. “Here, this institution is open.”‘I belong here’Boban's new plastic Library card felt significant. “This was the first official proof I belong here. I am part of this system. I have some roots in this country,” he says.The card also made him feel equal. “In that moment, I was like every other Calgarian,” he says. “They became a member the same way I became a member.”In awe of the fact one person could borrow 99 books, Boban began to explore books at Nose Hill Library. “Having the opportunity to find all those books was something that really gave me hope,” Boban says. “You must have something to occupy your mind.”As he waited for the upcoming hearing, Boban found a sense of sanctuary at Nose Hill Library. He’d read coffee table books about Scandinavian design and imagine how he would decorate his future home in Canada.Boban also borrowed autobiographies, feeling solace in the fact people he admired had also experienced ups and downs in their lives. “Reading all these books, I was more comfortable with my life,” he says. “Claiming for refugee status or waiting for the decision, it doesn’t mean something bad. Because all those people had … some very challenging periods in their lives.”An Open and Safe PlaceIn March 2017, Boban and his partner learned their claim for refugee status had been accepted. They could now apply for work permits, social insurance numbers, and to become permanent residents of Canada.Today, Boban's partner is improving his English through LINC classes, while Boban works at the Centre for Newcomers in a new role, as Settlement Practitioner for LGTBQ+ newcomers.“I am very lucky and happy and privileged to work there and to help people from my community who just came here,” he says, noting LGTBQ+ refugees face distinct challenges. Boban is grateful newcomers can turn to the Centre for Newcomers and Calgary Public Library, both open and safe places for all.Boban also worked a seasonal job at Pier 1 Imports, a position that drew on the interior design books he loves to peruse. He continues to regularly visit the Library; following a move downtown, he calls Central Library home.Boban now finds himself repeating to newcomers the line he once heard again and again: visit the library. “I never had that perception before that something called a library could be so important to my life,” he says. “Now I do.”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 Gave Me Hope’ Boban Stojanovic’s Library Story made him feel at home as a newcomer to Canada"Book clubs are a great way to meet and create lasting connections with people who have similar reading interests to you. Start a new book club or take your existing one to the next level with free resources.
Read more about "DIY Book Club"Sign up for a Family Reading Kit Book Club. Receive additional activities, resources and special event invitations, right to your inbox, twice this year!
Read more about "Family Reading Kit Book Club: Ghost"The National Geographic Virtual Library gives you access to the complete archive of National Geographic magazine at your fingertips — every page of every issue — along with a cross-searchable collection of National Geographic books, maps, images and videos.Not sure how to start? Watch the tutorial on Niche Academy: National Geographic Virtual Library tutorial.
Read more about "Explore history through a new lens"Healthy development in early childhood sets the course for a child’s future, leads to kindergarten readiness, and prepares children for lifelong learning success.Find all the tools you need to support your child's learning journey at the Library. Enjoy Early Learning Centres at 12 locations, free early literacy programs, and our extensive collection of books, movies and resources for each stage of a child’s early development.
Read more about "Supporting families as they help their children learn and grow."Val Lawton is an illustrator who has worked on more than 30 books. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamed about becoming an artist — and credits Calgary Public Library with helping her get there.“I owe Calgary Public Library a great deal, as it was there that I did all my research, where I discovered who my favourite illustrators are, where I determined what my favourite illustration style is, and where I researched the business side of the children’s book publishing industry,” she says.That journey started in 2000, when Val was a stay-at-home mom of a toddler son and infant daughter. A friend of Val’s was secretly writing a book, which she sold to a New York City publisher. Val remembers feeling encouraged when her talented friend told her, “If I could draw like you, I’d be illustrating books.”It was the push she needed. Val decided to start pulling together an art portfolio and market herself as a children’s book illustrator. To do that, she spent hours and hours at the Giuffre Family Library (then known as the Alexander Calhoun Library), poring over the children’s book collection.Val took out books illustrated by Quentin Blake, Simon James, and Charlotte Voake, and used them for inspiration as she practiced her own art over and over again. (Quentin Blake, best known for illustrating books written by Roald Dahl, remains Val’s favourite illustrator.)During her kids’ naptime or after their bedtime, Val would draw. “You just have to slog away at it,” she says. “With those practice pieces, I would find some pieces that I thought were particularly good, and I’d put them in my portfolio. Then I learned how to start approaching publishers.”For that, she used the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market book in the Library’s collection, a directory with hundreds of listings for publishers. “Slowly but surely, I got the odd job here, then something would snowball into something else,” she says.Val’s illustrations start with pencil outlines in scratchy, black India ink. She lets that sit overnight, then paints with watercolours. Val describes her style as whimsical but not saccharine. “I like not too much detail. Sometimes I’ll do faces that only have eyes. You have to sort of fill in the blank. It’s a relaxed kind of style, not too fussy.”That’s the style Val has long found herself drawn to in other books. “I like illustrations that aren’t too clean, aren’t too polished, leave a little bit up to the imagination,” she says. “I just found my kids seemed to gravitate to that style of illustration as well, so that’s always what’s appealed to me.”Val went on to work full-time as an illustrator, specializing in children’s books. Seeing her illustrations in published books feels “out of this world,” she says. “It’s very exciting.” Her work as an illustrator opened other doors, too, like working as an artist-educator in classrooms through the Royal Conservatory’s Learning Through the Arts program.As the publishing industry changes, Val increasingly works on self-published projects. She enjoys the connections it brings. “I get to work with the author, the person who has actually created the story, whereas in the traditional world of publishing I never meet the author,” she says.One of those self-publishing projects happened a few years ago, with the Calgary Food Bank. Val illustrated the book Emma and the Food Bank, of which proceeds support Calgary Food Bank services and programs. That led Val to her newest gig, a part-time role with the organization as Food Industry Coordinator. Val continues to illustrate part-time, and continues to be an avid and appreciative Library user.“I just think the public Library is the greatest resource on the planet,” she says. “It’s astounding what it does.”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 Greatest Resource on the Planet’ Val Lawton Library Story's helped her share her art with the world"What the Library offers Get a card Check out 99 items or access countless eBooks and audiobooks, including languages other than English and access hundreds of free services and resources, online and in person. Sign up today. Visit a location Anyone can visit any of our 21 locations to pick up or return books and use services like computers, laptops, room booking, and more. Access valuable services Get $5 free printing per month, book meeting rooms, use desktop computers or borrow a laptop, attend programs to practice English with other newcomers, or get help with job searches — explore the free services available.
Read more about "Get a card"Borrow a musical instrument from Memorial Park Library! Or take a free music workshop or attend an event.Place a hold on an instrument and select Memorial Park Library as your hold pickup location. Instruments must be borrowed with a library card verified with photo ID and be returned to Memorial Park Library.
Read more about "Your Library is about much more than just books!"Easily borrow, place holds, read, listen and learn within the app in just a few taps. Browse thousands of eBooks, audiobooks and magazines instantly and for free with the Libby app. Install the Libby app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.Prefer the old Overdrive website? Click here to access.
Read more about "The easiest way to borrow digital books, audiobooks, and magazines"Explore a rich collection of historical research databases including those related to First Nations and Indigenous peoples, as well as the Associated Press Collections, Smithsonian Collection Online, Archives of Human Sexuality and Gender, and Sabin Americana. You will find historical documents including books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, magazines, and more.
Read more about "Discover a world-class collection of historical documents"Due to COVID-19, the Calgary Public Library can no longer accept book donations. We encourage you to support a number of other organizations locally that accept book donations. For information on other ways to support the Calgary Public Library, please visit the Library Foundation’s
Read more about "Book Donations"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"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"Sign up for a Family Reading Kit Book Club. Receive additional activities, resources and special event invitations, right to your inbox, twice this year!
Read more about "Measuring Up: Family Reading Kit Book Club"Book a one-on-one consultation The Filmmaker in Residence is pleased to consult with anyone interested in film, music and creative direction. Book your one-on-one consultation
Read more about "Book a one-on-one consultation"