The Moms’ Stairway in Central Library honours moms everywhere. Eveline Wheatley Goodall, the donor who named this special spot, shares the story behind the name.There was no library in the small Alberta town where I grew up — a fact that seems shocking to me now. What is even more shocking is that there was no library in the school. There was a room in the school called the library, but it held typewriters. This was post World War II, in a relatively affluent town.What I did have in those early years of my life was what my mother called the blanket cupboard. Located in our house on the landing of a stairwell, it was child-sized. I remember being lifted into it to retrieve some stored item too difficult for my mother to reach. It also contained books. Once I eagerly learned to read, it was a wellspring of stories. When I finished one book I would simply hand it to my mother and she would reach another from the blanket cupboard.What did I read? The Bobbsey Twins; all the Anne books by Lucy Maud Montgomery; Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Kidnapped. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series likely started me on my life of paying attention and figuring things out. There were many others with titles now forgotten. A travel book, by a writer who swam the Dardanelles and climbed the Matterhorn, most likely started me on my life as a traveller.When I was about ten and in Grade 4, a miracle happened. One of the service clubs in town started a library! Using a basement room in one of the medical clinics, they simply asked the townsfolk for any books they could donate. (No magazines and no Reader’s Digest condensed books.) The library, open Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons, had one full wall of children’s books and three walls of adult books.Thursday night I was there: in the back door of the medical building, down steep stairs, a long hallway, a turn to the left, another long hallway, and in the door. The room was always full of people. Clearly, I was not the only one hungry for more books and the adventure and story and beauty of word they provided.The Moms’ Stairway in Central Library honours moms everywhere. Eveline Wheatley Goodall, the donor who named this special spot, shares the story behind the name.I have continued to love libraries and reading throughout my life. I adore fiction; my all-time favourite author is David Adams Richards. When I moved to Calgary and had my own children we regularly visited our local library, Louise Riley. Today, I borrow books and browse magazines at Nose Hill Library and attend Wordfest events at Memorial Park Library.When Calgary Public Library started work on Central Library and shared renderings, I was thrilled. I thought it was the most beautiful of buildings, the sort of architectural marvel I have longed for in Calgary. My husband and I were eager to support the new Library.As donors, the Library offered us a naming opportunity. I was instantly drawn to a wonderful stairway. This spot links the exciting and unique Jocelyn Louise Anderson Children’s Library and coffee shop, making it a logical place for moms. We chose the name “The Moms’ Stairway” to honour all of those good moms past, present, and future who encourage reading. And, of course, it is named for my Mom too, M. Oren Wheatley. After all, she was my first librarian, reaching into the blanket cupboard in the stairwell to share books.
Read more about "Stories Honouring All Moms The story behind a Central Library stairway"Join Young Rembrandts in a celebration of art and culture! You'll be guided step-by-step through a musical drawing project that will help you express what music means to you.
Read more about "Rozsa Arts at the Library & Alberta Culture Days: Draw! - Music as Art"Kaylee enjoys skiing, drawing, and cooking. She is half Cree and half English. Her paternal grandmother is originally from Peace Point Treaty 8 and was adopted into a family in Beaver Lake Cree Nation, and her mother is from the United Kingdom.
Read more about "Kaylee Anne Leibham"Kaylee enjoys skiing, drawing, and cooking. She is half Cree and half English. Her paternal grandmother is originally from Peace Point Treaty 8 and was adopted into a family in Beaver Lake Cree Nation, and her mother is from the United Kingdom.
Read more about "Kaylee Anne Leibham"Tace is from Waterhen Lake First Nation and Canoe Lake Cree Nation. She enjoys drawing and painting on canvas. She creates art because she likes being able to convey feelings and thoughts visually. She hopes to become an ophthalmologist.
Read more about " Tace Ens-Buchacher"Love comics? Learn the creative art of cartooning through drawing principles, character design
Read more about "Introduction to Creative Cartooning and Comics"June 1 at 1:00 pm: Grades K – 3 can enjoy a storytime and drawing demonstration with author Brenda Leahy and artist Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle.
Read more about "Flip Flop Flapjack"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"When you sign up for the Ultimate Summer Challenge, you’re automatically entered to win one of our grand prizes. There are three grand prize draws: one for anyone registered before July 1, one in mid-summer, and one at the end of summer.
Read more about "Register to win!"Kids and teens in grades 4 – 12 can learn more about writing, drawing, reading, comics, video games, and more at LitCon. Connect with your peers and improve your skills with help from professional writers and creatives.
Read more about "Are you passionate about the literary arts?"Make sure you have your scratch-map handy — it's your ticket to winning one of our grand prize draws at the end of the challenge. You could take home a pair of Beats headphones, a Kobo eReader, or gifts from the Library Store.
Read more about "Register for your chance to win!"Tace is from Waterhen Lake First Nation and Canoe Lake Cree Nation. She enjoys drawing and painting on canvas. She creates art because she likes being able to convey feelings and thoughts visually. She hopes to become an ophthalmologist.
Read more about " Tace Ens-Buchacher"Kaylee enjoys skiing, drawing, and cooking. She is half Cree and half English. Her paternal grandmother is originally from Peace Point Treaty 8 and was adopted into a family in Beaver Lake Cree Nation, and her mother is from the United Kingdom.
Read more about "Kaylee Anne Leibham"Go beyond T-shirts and jeans. Grab your pencils and pens or digital drawing pad and learn how you can redesign your character’s exterior by using artistic techniques that can...
Read more about "LitCon 2022 – Character Design Through Art"Join author Jim McLennan for a talk about fly fishing – one of the most reflective and graceful of outdoor pursuits. Drawn from 55 years of obsession with trout, water, streams...
Read more about "Explore Alberta: Trout Tracks"