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!
This gorgeous outdoor thoroughfare creates a pathway for pedestrians to pass over the existing LRT line and venture across the city. The entrance is built with western red cedar, and the wooden soffit’s design is inspired by the chinook arch cloud formations common to Calgary’s skies.
Read more about "Bringing the community together to learn, inspire, and celebrate."Sound the alarm! Engine 23 will open at Fish Creek Library in fall 2023.
Read more about "The new adventures of Engine 23"The Library's first play and learning experience for ages 0 – 12 at Fish Creek Library.
Read more about "Meet Engine 23"Ask our experts Call the Library at 403.260.2600, or send us a message through chat or email to get in touch with a staff member. Whether you want a personalized book recommendation, need tech support, are looking for help with schoolwork, or need information about current events, our experts can answer any questions you may have or connect you to the appropriate community resource. Library Hotline staff are available Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm. For inquires by mail, please contact: Calgary Public Library Administration Central Library, Level 4 800 3 St SE Calgary, AB T2G 2E7
Read more about "Ask our experts"'\n ', 'Get on the path to find a job, build your own website, start a business, improve your English, write your book, brush up on your computer skills, prepare for college, and more.\xa0', 'Cardholders have free access to courses with their Library card. Once registered, the Library is unable to drop or transfer you from a course. Please read the course requirements carefully prior to registering for a course.', 'Not sure how to start? Watch the tutorial in Niche Academy:\xa0', 'Gale Courses tutorial', '\n '
Read more about "'Free, interactive, instructor-led online courses. '"The Entrepreneur in Residence, in partnership with Platform Calgary, aims to support individuals keen to explore business and build skills related to tech and innovation start-ups. The Entrepreneur in Residence acts as a mentor to emerging and established entrepreneurs, and can offer advice on starting a business, networking, identifying markets, product development, revenue strategies, and more. Connect with them by booking a private meeting, or attending a public program or workshop.
Read more about "Supporting emerging and established entrepreneurs."Indigenous Voices in Library Services Nations to Nations: Indigenous Voices at Library and Archives Canada is a free multimedia e-book featuring essays and images written and curated by Indigenous staff at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). These essays offer personal interpretations of Library collection items and reflect on the unique perspectives that First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation bring to libraries. Download your copy
Read more about "Indigenous Voices in Library Services"Need a place to practice? Memorial Park Library has a free music practice room. Our practice space can comfortably accommodate two musicians and you can book the practice room twice per week, up to two hours each time. The room has an upright double bass, donated by k.d. lang, an electric piano, electric drum kit, and a guitar.
Read more about "Need a place to practice?"Discover the joys of reading as a family The Family Reading Kits for 2023 are four different titles for children ages 6-17 and one picture book for younger readers. The kits are a booklet with discussion questions to spark lively conversation, related activities, and more staff-recommended titles to read aloud as a family or in your classroom. Family Reading Kits are self-led, so your family can read as many as they like! Download your booklet to the end of December 2023 and happy reading!
Read more about "Discover the joys of reading as a family"Four years ago, Henry Bastidas left his home in Venezuela and moved to Canada. Henry sought a safer place; he lived near the capital city Caracas, one of the most dangerous cities in the world.An engineer in Venezuela, Henry arrived in Calgary speaking only Spanish. He soon started an ESL program at the University of Calgary, where a friend recommended he also attend drop-in ESL classes at the Calgary Public Library. Eager to improve his English, he decided to check out the free newcomer programs.That little tip from a friend spurred Henry to get a Library card, instantly connecting him to his new city. “Back home, we don’t have libraries like this. There, a library is just storage for books,” Henry says. “Here, I love how dynamic the libraries are, all the activities they do. People are engaged and involved and I think that’s a very good thing.”The ESL classes at the Library helped Henry gain confidence in speaking English. Next, he tried out other free Library programs, including small business programs to work on his resumé and LinkedIn profile and technology programs to learn Excel and PowerPoint.Giving BackIn early 2015, less than a year after arriving in Canada, Henry applied to volunteer at Calgary Public Library. “The Library helped me a lot,” Henry says. “After I finished my courses, I decided to try to give back to this community that now I call home.”Henry began volunteering for kids’ math and coding programs, first at Central Library. “I just wanted to try and help kids a little bit with the things I know, like math,” he says. The experience helped him land his first job in Canada; with no work history here, he says the volunteer gig on his resumé was crucial.As Henry has moved throughout Calgary, he’s continued to volunteer at the Library closest to him, including Forest Lawn, Village Square, Fish Creek, and Sage Hill libraries.Today, Henry studies energy asset management at SAIT and works part-time. He continues to volunteer with Math Quest, helping students in Grades 1 to 6 use math to complete challenges throughout the Library. The after-school program makes numeracy fun — for the students, and for Henry.Energizing Experience“The kids get so excited every time they read a card and accomplish any of the quests,” he says. “I like how energetic they are. Every time I leave the Library, I feel like I did something good here. Instead of draining your energy, this gives you more energy.”“Henry’s strong commitment to helping students learn is a real gift to our youth volunteers that he mentors and to the children participating in our programs,” says Muneerah Vasanji, Volunteer Resources Coordinator at Calgary Public Library. “Henry stands out for his solid work ethic, patience, dedication, and leadership. Henry genuinely cares about making a tangible difference in our community and we are so fortunate to have him as an integral part of our volunteer team.”Henry had never volunteered before; it’s not really part of the norm in Venezuela, he says. “But here, I feel like it’s very important to do. Even though sometimes I have a very busy schedule, going to school and working, I always find when I make time to come volunteer I have fun.,” Henry says.Henry continues to be a dedicated Library member, recommending free programs to others and taking time to look around and pick up a new book. “The Library is my happy place,” he says. “There is always something going on, and you can find everything you are into.”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 is My Happy Place’ Henry Bastidas helps others learn as part of his Library Story"The main entrance opens into the Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery, a versatile and breathtaking space for large-scale special events, celebrations, and after-hours private bookings. Unfortunately, we are unable to host weddings at the Library.
Read more about "Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery"The BMO Financial Community Room offers Calgarians a space to collaborate and share ideas. This free meeting room boasts seating for 80, and is the perfect place to host your community club, training sessions, or team building.
Read more about "From street level, you can see Library programming in the Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall."We connect people and organizations who want to make a difference with the opportunity to improve our shared community. All donations cultivate innovation and bring the Library to those who need it most.Since 2011, the Library Foundation has raised more than $60 million in support of the Calgary Public Library. Our 21,500 donors are helping to build a stronger Calgary.
Read more about "The Calgary Public Library Foundation supports the Library through fundraising."When Marian Erb moved to Calgary from Ireland 36 years ago, one of the first things she did was track down her community library.“As a newcomer, everything—from the architecture to the awesome expanse of Alberta skies—was new and overwhelming. The Library became a sanctuary for me, a home away from home,” says Marian.She recalls the welcoming smiles she received from Library staff on that first visit and the support given as she learned about the many resources the Library had to offer.“Staff are the Library’s most important resource,” she says. “They are the first point of contact for newcomers and ensure they have access to computers so that connections with family and friends back home is maintained as they acclimatize to their new surroundings.”While Marian shares a common language with native Calgarians, she can relate to that “lost” feeling common to the newcomer experience, when an accent can mark you as “different.” So, when she considered becoming a Library volunteer, she was drawn to working with people for whom English was foreign.“Newcomers often feel anxious in their new, unfamiliar surroundings. I remember that feeling and love to help people build confidence as they work to improve their spoken English. Volunteering in the Library’s Conversation Club allows me to reach out with friendship and find common ground…and then the words and stories start to flow.”Volunteering can be a daunting concept, but when asked what attributes aspiring Library volunteers should possess, Marian states that it’s really very simple: they need to love meeting new people, have patience, and be genuinely interested in the program they’ve chosen and the people they’re working alongside.“Volunteering at the Library allows me to do what I love, surrounded by beautiful, wonderful books in the company of friendly, like-minded people helping newcomers begin to feel like they’ve come home.”If you’d like to join the Library’s team of volunteers, please visit the Volunteers page.
Read more about "Stories Meet our Volunteers: Marian Erb Marian's work with the ESL Conversation Club helps find common ground"