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!
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"Search for books by mood, character, and pacing. Find read-alikes of your favourite books, and even resources for book clubs.
Read more about "What will you read next?"There are the books we say we read, and then the books we really love. For this challenge, proudly read a book you would normally hide from others.
Read more about "Don't Shush Your Shelf"Aboard Calgary Public Library’s Story Truck, you’ll find storytime, song and rhymes, play time, and of course books — all for children from 0 to five years of age. As a precaution to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and support the City's efforts to promote social distancing, the Library is increasing its response, including cancelling all outreach programs. Please check calgarylibrary.ca/covid-19 for regular updates.
Read more about "Library on wheels"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"Marty Chan writes funny books for kids and plays for adults. He’s best known for his Marty Chan Mystery Series. He’s written picture books, kids books, young adult novels, and plays.
Read more about "Marty Chan"Everyone deserves to feel the love on Valentine's Day, but what about every book? We were wondering which materials in our collection might be feeling a little left out on this special day. One particular read, Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac, hadn’t been taken off the shelf in a long while. We couldn’t let this phenomenal read continue to gather dust, so we did what any bibliophile would do. We signed it out for the day and took it on a Valentine’s Day adventure it would never forget!Here's what we got up to on our date with our loneliest Library book.We signed out this read from Alberta’s oldest Library, Memorial Park. Initially, we could see why someone might be hesitant to take this book out on a date. A tale of catastrophe, hatred, and revenge, Cousin Bette doesn’t come across as the most compassionate companion. Could we trust this book to not break our hearts? Well, you know what they say — nothing ventured, nothing gained. We’ve been scorned by many a cliffhanger and plot twist in the past, but we couldn’t let our hopes be dashed and give up on finding our one true book love.We spent some time getting to know each other in the Create Space, checking out all the community crafts and engaging games together. Then we played a couple of board games – Bette’s big vocabulary came in handy when we brought out the Scrabble board.It turns out this classic tale is a fan of classical music, so we signed out a few of the available instruments in the Library’s music practice room and serenaded them.As a token of our affection, we offered Cousin Bette a rose. They promised to treasure it always, even though a rose is not a bookmark.We ended our day with a tour of Central Library, sipping on hot chocolate from the café on the second floor. We could have read Bette for hours in the cozy reading nooks throughout the building.But like all good dates, this too had to come to an end. We walked Cousin Bette to the Central Library book return, knowing Library staff would make sure they got back home to Memorial Park Library safely. They gave us their ISBN number in case we ever wanted to hang out again. Speaking for ourselves, we’d be into a second borrow.Want to romance a book of your own this Valentine’s Day? Search for your perfect match among staff-curated lists on Library shelves, and on Libby.
Read more about "Stories The Loneliest Library Book"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 "The Paper Bag Princess: Family Reading Kit Book Club"Be a book club hero with this batch of battle-tested, discussion-fueling titles.
Read more about "Book Club Essentials"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 "Over 100 digital resources"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 "The Barren Grounds: Family Reading Kit 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: Heartwood Hotel"Search for books by mood, character, and pacing. Find read-alikes of your favourite books, and even resources for book clubs.
Read more about "Reading suggestions for children and teens"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"Settle down, baby, it's time for bed! Learn songs and rhymes for bedtime routines and getting ready to sleep.
Read more about "Bath, Book, and Bed"