Meet with legal professionals to get free insight into personal law or estate planning.
Read more about "Law Connect Lite"Take part in games, artmaking, expert encounters, and more in the Questionarium. It’s a space to solve challenges, create, and play — designed just for older kids.
Read more about "School-aged kids explore and learn in the Questionarium."Aspiring writers can a second pair of eyes on their writing, tips to strengthen their skills, and insight into the world of publication from experienced authors in their genre.
Read more about "Improve your craft with expert advice"Programs for small businesses include topics for startups, working with the government, employment law, and financial statements.
Read more about "Get a boost"Sign up for free winter programs, in person and online.
Read more about "Frosty fun for the whole family"Read the latest issue of popular magazines, like People, The Walrus, Maclean’s, Catster and Chatelaine on your mobile device or computer. There are also titles for kids and teens, like Owl, Ranger Rick, Archie comics and Say Magazine. Back issues of some titles are also available.Not sure how to start? Watch the tutorial in Niche Academy: Flipster Online Magazines tutorial
Read more about "Read your favourite magazines online"Learn to play a musical instrument at your own pace with free online music classes.
Read more about "ArtistWorks on Libby"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"The Library’s vibrant and quality programming for children is made possible with the help and the dedication of student volunteers. Their passion and support in mentoring younger students makes these programs come alive, leaving a lasting positive impact on both participants and volunteers. The Bright Futures Scholarship provides three scholarships, one valued at $3,500 and two valued at $1,000 each to young Library volunteers who are committed, enthusiastic, and takes initiative in their volunteer role. The scholarship is made possible by a gift from Barbara Killick, formerly a senior staff member at Calgary Public Library, and witness to the positive impact made by young volunteers on the lives of Calgarians. Meet the 2020 recipients of the Bright Futures Scholarship:Debadrita Chowdhury ($3,500 scholarship) Debadrita has been an enthusiastic volunteer in a variety of Library youth programs, including Reading Buddies and Make it Messy Art. She draws upon her volunteer experience at the Library to influence her work with students in the community. Inspired by the youth she mentored in Library programs, Debadrita started a poetry club for Grade 9 students at her school and helps them prepare for regional and national competitions. She is also a founding member of the Calgary Science Spelling Bee. After graduation, Debadrita plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.Keerthana Chockalingam ($1,000 scholarship) An active and engaged volunteer with the Library since 2016, Keerthana enjoys programs like Reading Buddies that help students develop their literacy and problem-solving skills. Her volunteer work at the Library inspires her to continually seek opportunities to engage with her community. She has volunteered with a variety of other local programs, including a summer camp for children with disabilities. Mentoring students in Library programs helped Keerthana discover a passion for working with children. She is now investigating a career path where she can combine her passion for health science and working in pediatrics.Risham Sharma ($1,000 scholarship) Risham has logged many volunteer hours with the Library and enjoys teaching technology to kids in programs like Coding Buddies. Volunteering with the Library motivated Risham to mentor students at her school in robotics and engineering programs, in addition to teaching coding to children fighting cancer at Alberta Children’s Hospital. Risham has been positively impacted by the relationships she formed in Library programs and enjoys seeing the outcomes of her coaching as students learn and grow. Risham is pursuing post-secondary study in Engineering. Congratulations to this year’s winners! Submissions for the 2021 Bright Futures Scholarship will open next spring.
Read more about "Stories"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"“Help your sister’s boat across the water, and yours too will reach the other side.” ~ Eric HofferSusan Anderson, Special Events Volunteer with Calgary Public Library, strongly identifies with this quote by the American philosopher and the idea that helping others enriches one’s own life. So when she retired from the Library, she immediately set about volunteering…right back at the Library.Volunteering runs in Susan’s family. “I’ve volunteered since I was a teenager. I do it because I like doing it, not for any monetary gain or external reward; I volunteer because it’s interesting to me. And, it’s really fun and a great learning experience.” To date, Susan’s volunteer role has had her playing an active role in the Library’s daytime Colossal Calgary Playdates, as well the Your Ride’s On Us and Author in Residence programs, working with children and adults alike. From Susan’s perspective, someone who wants to volunteer for the Library should like people and want to understand them, have a sense of curiosity, and be a life-long learner. “An effective volunteer has to be reliable, dependable, and passionate about what they are doing!”The Library’s values align very closely with Susan’s, and that’s why she feels so very comfortable volunteering within the Library environment. “It’s a place for people, where I can offer assistance as patrons learn new things. Those four words the Library has—wonder, seek, discover, share—to me that just nails it. That’s what the Library is about and that’s why I’m so happy to be part of it all.”If you’d like to join the Library’s team of volunteers in special events or a wide variety of other programs, please visit the Volunteers page.
Read more about "Stories Meet our Volunteers: Susan Anderson Susan helps patrons learn new things with the variety of programs she volunteers with"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"The Calgary Fire Department and Calgary Public Library are proud to announce a new joint project to help all children in Calgary learn about fire safety. Starting Tuesday, January 21, 2020, all library locations and fire halls in Calgary will begin distributing a new Fire Safety Activity Booklet.
Read more about "Find dates and locations"Call for Performing Artists Rozsa Arts at the Library features local artists for in-person performances. Selected artists or collectives will be consulted regarding Library location/venue, and flexibility may be re quired for additions to the performance such as allowing for emcees, Q&A segments, or sharing timeslots with multiple performers . Apply to be part of this initiative
Read more about "Call for Performing Artists"Kate Andrews Committee membership: Governance; Strategy and Community Term end: 2026 Some of Kate’s earliest memories are of hours spent in the A.C. Hunter Children’s Library in her hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she and her parents relied heavily on the guidance of librarians to supply age-appropriate material for a voracious early reader. Kate’s love of reading helped carry her through law school at the University of Calgary, and she continues to devour a wide variety of fiction in her “spare” time. She has also passed her love of libraries down to her two children, who regularly accompany her to the Guiffre Family Library and Central Library locations. Kate sees libraries as exemplifying the best of our society and is excited to contribute to the growth and vibrancy of Calgary Public Library as a member of the Board.
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