Join local artists, musicians, and performers for outdoor shows at libraries across Calgary.
Read more about "Rozsa Arts at the Library"Discover the magic of reading at your library with our handpicked book list for kids.
Read more about "Kids, Love Your Library!"Kudos to our Library Staff Every year, Library staff are recognized by their peers for their kindness, dedication, and the skill they bring to their work with the Kudos Awards. Library staff can nominate their peers for awards in eight different categories. Hear the 2023 recipients read some of what their peers had to say about them, and what the awards and their work at the Library means to them personally. Watch the video
Read more about "Kudos to our Library Staff"Houmou Guiro is no stranger to libraries. She has visited them since she was seven years old, checking out books every few weeks. But when Houmou moved from France to Canada two years ago, she discovered a library system much different than the one she was used to.There were books to read in Calgary’s libraries, plus so much more. Houmou joined an ESL Coffee and Conversation Club to practice her English, and later signed up for an ESL Writing Club. She improved her English skills and met friends at the programs, which helped her to feel more at home in a new city.“The Library in Calgary is very awesome,” Houmou says. “In Paris, you take your books and that’s it. Here, you have services for babies, for newcomers. If you want to open a business, you have services. It’s all free and open and you can take 99 books out.”Houmou credits a resumé development program she took at the Library with helping her get her first job in Canada, at a retail store downtown. “I had a French resumé, but it’s very different how you do it in Canada. So I learned how to do it and got help to improve my resumé,” she says.She now works for a not-profit organization called PIA, which offers services and programs to francophone immigrants and refugees in Calgary. In this role, Houmou tells other newcomers about available services in the city, including all they can do with a free Library card.“I tell them ‘You have to go to the Library! It’s very good. You can take out a lot of books and a lot of everything else too,’” she says.Houmou is also an avid reader, regularly checking out French and English titles. She blogs about the books she’s reading and her life in Canada. Lately she’s been reading a lot of books about entrepreneurship and marketing, as she works on launching her own business: a French tutoring service for kids.When Houmou had her first child, Demba, she took him to a weekly Baby Rhyme Time program. “I didn’t know any English songs, so it was very good for me to meet some parents, talk about our babies, and sing with them in English. It was so cool,” she says.She brings 19-month-old Demba to Louise Riley Library or the new Central Library every few weeks, just as her family used to take her to the Library in France. “We play, we take books out, we read. He likes turning the pages,” she says. “He really likes coming here. I like the Library so much too.”We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories 'It's all free and open and you can take 99 books out' Houmou Guiro's Library Story helped her feel more at home in a new city"Take your Library out into the world Homebound Readers Deliver Library materials to those who are unable to visit the Library due to health or mobility challenges. Help new Canadians learn English English Conversation Group Help new Canadians improve their English language conversation skills.
Read more about "Take your Library out into the world Help new Canadians learn English"Whether you live right on the edge of Calgary’s city limits and drive to work downtown, or live in the heart of the city and hop on transit to get where you need to go, many Calgarians have a commute to contend with. If that travel time is starting to get you down, don’t worry — you can transform it with these resources, all free with your Library card.AudiobooksIf your drive to work keeps your hands at the wheel, or your walk means keeping an eye out for obstacles, that doesn’t mean you can’t still be catching up on your reading. Library members can stream or download hours of audiobook titles from AudioBookCloud, OverDrive, and Libby to listen to on their way to work.eBooksTired of lugging around books to read on the train or bus? Opt for the ease of an eBook on your phone or tablet. With eBooks from Libby, LitFinder, and a resource just for Alberta eBooks, you can store thousands of great reads right in your pocket. For younger readers, check out BookFlix, Study Buddy, and TumbleBook Library for children’s eBooks.Movies and TV ShowsCan’t find time to watch the latest movies and TV shows? Start and end your day with shows and movies on Kanopy. This Digital Resource offers over 30,000 documentaries, classics, international films, and training videos, including selections from the Criterion Collection, Great Courses, and Frontline series, along with film and TV for kids.Newspapers and MagazinesIf you like to start your day by perusing the morning paper, the Library can help. Use Digital Resources including the New York Times Online, Canadian Newsstream, and PressReader to read news from local and international publications. If magazines are your preference, you can read popular publications with Flipster Online Magazines, and PressReader including People, Macleans, Time, Canadian Geographic, and Vogue.
Read more about "Stories Four Ways to Transform Your Commute with Free Library Resources"Whether you live right on the edge of Calgary’s city limits and drive to work downtown, or live in the heart of the city and hop on transit to get where you need to go, many Calgarians have a commute to contend with. If that travel time is starting to get you down, don’t worry — you can transform it with these resources, all free with your Library card.AudiobooksIf your drive to work keeps your hands at the wheel, or your walk means keeping an eye out for obstacles, that doesn’t mean you can’t still be catching up on your reading. Library members can stream or download hours of audiobook titles from AudioBookCloud, OverDrive, and Libby to listen to on their way to work.eBooksTired of lugging around books to read on the train or bus? Opt for the ease of an eBook on your phone or tablet. With eBooks from Libby, LitFinder, and a resource just for Alberta eBooks, you can store thousands of great reads right in your pocket. For younger readers, check out BookFlix, Study Buddy, and TumbleBook Library for children’s eBooks.Movies and TV ShowsCan’t find time to watch the latest movies and TV shows? Start and end your day with shows and movies on Kanopy. This Digital Resource offers over 30,000 documentaries, classics, international films, and training videos, including selections from the Criterion Collection, Great Courses, and Frontline series, along with film and TV for kids.Newspapers and MagazinesIf you like to start your day by perusing the morning paper, the Library can help. Use Digital Resources including the New York Times Online, Canadian Newsstream, and PressReader to read news from local and international publications. If magazines are your preference, you can read popular publications with Flipster Online Magazines, and PressReader including People, Macleans, Time, Canadian Geographic, and Vogue.
Read more about "Stories Four Ways to Transform Your Commute with Free Library Resources"Classes can visit Calgary’s award-winning Central Library and explore its unique features and offerings.
Read more about "Central Library School Tour"Calgary’s oldest Library and its surrounding park were granted special status as a national historic site earlier this year.On Thursday, September 27, Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada will host a plaque unveiling ceremony at Central Memorial Park and Library at 1:00 pm. All are welcome to attend; dress for an outdoor ceremony.Memorial Park Library is located just south of Calgary’s downtown and opened in 1912. The classically-inspired Library has a grand columned entrance and staircase, rich and ornamental exterior, and elegant interior.Memorial Park Library was the first public Library in Alberta. Annie Davidson, one of Calgary’s cultural pioneers and visionaries, championed the building alongside the Calgary Women’s Literary Club. Beginning in 1906, the group of civic-minded women advocated for the establishment of a free public Library.The site of the future Library, now known as Central Memorial Park, was chosen in August 1908 by city plebiscite. Construction began later that year. Funds for construction came from American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who supported 125 libraries across Canada.Upon opening in 1912, Memorial Park Library quickly proved popular. It became a cultural and educational hub, even housing the city’s first art show in 1912 — an exhibit of 200 European paintings borrowed from local collectors."By the end of that first year, 1912, the original collection of 5,280 books had grown to 12,343, and the number of patrons had grown to 8,911. The most popular authors of the day were Alexandre Dumas père, Gilbert Parker, Ralph Connor, Robert Services, and Lucy Maud Montgomery,” writes Brian Brennan in The Calgary Public Library, Inspiring Life Stores Since 1912.Memorial Park Library continues to be a cultural and educational hub today. It’s now home to the Sun Life Financial Musical Lending Library, the Alexander Calhoun Salon, Wordfest, and much more. Visit this beautiful Library and park — now a National Historic Site — today!
Read more about "Stories Memorial Park Library Recognized as National Historic Site"It’s a story that couldn’t have been scripted any better, according to the Library’s CEO Bill Ptacek.A search for a business to operate the café in Central Library led to two Calgary entrepreneurs seeking to do something iconic in their hometown. Gareth Lukes and Eric Hendry are partnering on LUKES, a 2,000-square-foot café opening in November 2018 that promises to be welcoming, collaborative, and responsive.Gareth Lukes is the third-generation owner of the popular Lukes Drug Mart. Eric Hendry, a former Model Milk chef who has worked around the globe, is back in Calgary at award-winning restaurant Bar Von Der Fels.Lukes and Hendry first partnered to bring soft-serve ice cream back to Lukes Drug Mart last summer. Their new collaboration is poised to be just as delicious.Operating within one of the city’s most important cultural gathering spaces is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Lukes, speaking at the Jan. 16 announcement for the new café.“Like the Library itself, which is inclusive and accessible, we believe food can serve to bring families and people together to fuel discussion and stimulate learning,” he said. At LUKES, visitors can expect an approachable and interesting menu with affordable prices, plus an emphasis on local, healthy, and sustainable choices, Hendry said. Councillor Druh Farrell, a member of the Calgary Public Library Board, described Lukes and Hendry as people who embody Calgary’s entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit. “It’s their commitment to Calgary that makes their partnership so special for the new Library,” Farrell said at the Jan. 16 announcement. “Together, their vision, experience, and local know-how will elevate the visitor experience at the Library.”Three Questions for Gareth Lukes and Eric HendryIf you could cook for any author, who would it be?Eric Hendry: Ernest Hemingway.What’s your favourite book?Eric Hendry: Probably 1984 by George Orwell. I think it has some relevance in this day and age, which I like about it now.Gareth Lukes: I’d say Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I just like the bizarreness of that book.What role has Calgary Public Library played in your life?Gareth Lukes: I remember always going as a kid and checking out books. The Library is a great resource, and it’s just a great place.Eric Hendry: Fish Creek Library was iconic when I was growing up in the south. I love to read. For sure, the Library plays a role in community, and that’s what we want to do as well.
Read more about "Stories Meet the Duo Behind Central Library’s Café"Central Library is located at 800 3 Street SE, directly east of City Hall.
Read more about "Take a tour of Central Library"Our 110th birthday celebrations continue with the launch of our 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan: Everyone Belongs at the Library. Watch for more exciting news as we continue to celebrate 110 years together.
Read more about "Celebrating 110 years of Library love"