Information from Government of Alberta, including immigration information, jobs, health, education, and more.
Read more about "Moving to Alberta"Scottie Grinton is a longtime Library member, a voracious reader who upped his visits when he became a father and started bringing his young son. Then in the mid ’90s, with his marriage on the rocks, the Library took on new meaning to him.“The Library deserves a bunch of credit for contributing to the saving of my sanity and my spirit,” he says.Scottie says he’s not the kind of guy that escapes to bars and clubs. Instead, the Library became his refuge.“It was a place I could go and feel safe and I could take time for myself, both in terms of escape, like reading fiction, and in terms of the sort of things I needed to keep my head on straight, like looking up counselling services,” he says.Scottie visited Nose Hill Library a few times a week. During those visits, Scottie remembers smiling Library staff who would always say hello. He found joy being in a comfortable place and devouring works of fiction. “There’s nothing safer than a book,” he says. Scottie gravitated to a diverse assortment of genres: cheesy spy thrillers, science fiction, classics he never read in high school (like Lord of the Flies), and summer reads.“I was lost,” he remembers. “When a marriage breaks down — even if a marriage ending is a good thing — your foundation is shaken up. I was looking for a place where I could feel emotionally safe and secure, and I found that at the Library.”Looking back now, Scottie says time, work, and creativity helped him get through a tough divorce. He also focused on being a good dad, and that meant lots of time spent reading with his son.In later years, when Scottie and his son moved to a south Calgary neighbourhood, the Giuffre Family Library (formerly Alexander Calhoun Library) became their home Library. “I really like this location because there’s an intimacy here,” he says.Scottie sees immense value in libraries, for being buildings full of books and resources, and welcoming places for people. “There’s such a need for community, for people coming together,” he says. He considers libraries valuable public spaces, quite unlike anywhere else in the city.Today, Scottie’s life is much different than it was in the ‘90s. He is happily remarried and works as a Realtor and a part-time actor. His wife, also a Realtor, is a writer with two books on the Library’s shelves.Now a grandpa, Scottie is proud that his three young grandchildren love reading. And Scottie still enjoys escaping into a good read; he loves plays, science fiction, mystery, and biographies, and is currently raving about The Essay.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘A Safe Place’ Scottie Grinton's Library Story helped him find hope during hard times"Lead one-hour tours of the Central Library. Tours occur weekday mornings and afternoons along with limited evening and weekend tours. Central Library Tours cover the stories, brief history, and services of the Central Library, as well as the architectural advances and features of the building.
Read more about "What will you do?"Your free Calgary Public Library card is an important step in finding support in Calgary. At the Library, you can borrow books, movies, and music, use computers and Wi-Fi, print documents, attend programs to practise your English skills, and get connected to newcomer services agencies who can help you. It’s all free!
Read more about "Welcome to Canada and the Library"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"This program delves into the eleven species of owls found in Alberta. Participants will learn about the special adaptations of these nocturnal birds of prey and how to identify...
Read more about "Wildlife Wonders: World of Owls"Mental Health Resources Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line This phone line is available 24-hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their Residential school experience. Call 1-866-925-4419. Elbow River Healing Lodge The Elbow River Healing Lodge offers a full range of primary care services and visiting specialists to First Nations (Status and Non-Status), Métis, and Inuit people and their families. Wellness Desk Visit the Library's Wellness Desk , available on a drop-in basis. A variety of mental wellness resources are also available to you for free with your Library card. Other Resources Hope for Wellness Help Line Circle of Wisdom Elders and Seniors Centre Native Counselling Services of Alberta Calgary Counselling Centre Distress Centre Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse Kids Help Phone
Read more about "Mental Health Resources"Improve your English, brush up on your computer skills, prepare for college, and more.
Read more about "Gale Courses"The Library is committed to providing a range of specialized materials, facilities, services, and programs at all locations. Additionally, this website was designed to meet WCAG AA standard, the second-highest web accessibility standard as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium, the international standards organization for the internet.
Read more about "The Calgary Public Library is accessible for everyone, in both its physical and digital spaces."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"A special literary presentation moderated by the creator of Kim’s Convenience, Ins Choi. Join authors Teresa Wong, Katrina Kwan, Terry Fong, and others for an engaging...
Read more about "FascinAsian Film Festival 2024: Discovering Asian Stories"We can’t wait to show you Calgary’s newest Library! The Seton Library at the Brookfield Residential YMCA opens January 14, 2019, and we want you to join us for our BIG opening weekend!January 19 is the official opening of the Hopewell Early Learning Centre, a space for kids built around a real helicopter courtesy of The Hangar Flight Museum. The celebration, from 10 am to 1 pm, will also include a special family storytime at 11 am, free crafts and activities, treats, games, door prizes, and more.The new 25,000 square foot Seton Library has plenty to offer the growing south Calgary community, such as a Teen Centre, bookable meeting rooms, automated Chromebook lending lockers, and lots of programs and services for children and families, including the Questionarium and the Hopewell Early Learning Centre.Access everything at Seton Library (and our 20 other locations) for free with your free Library card! Get a membership online today or visit any Library location to become a member.See you at Seton Library!
Read more about "Stories Seton Library Opens in the New Brookfield Residential YMCA"Director, Communications
Read more about "Mary Kapusta"Library Renaming Recognizes Transformational Gift MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 24, 2018Calgary, AB — In honour of a $1.5 million transformational gift to the Calgary Public Library, the Library Board renamed the Alexander Calhoun Library the Giuffre Family Library in a special community celebration today.“The Giuffre Family has deep roots in the community and we are delighted to honour them with this library naming,” notes Janet Hutchinson, Chair of the Calgary Public Library Board. “Their investment will support free access to collections, programming and services across the city that will transform the lives of generations of Calgarians.”“Since we came to Calgary from Toronto in 1955, our family has developed a love of reading,” says Joe Giuffre, whose family now numbers over 40. “Each of my children had an interest in a different subject. Their use of the Calgary Public Library’s world of information helped them achieve their goals. Through this investment, our family is honoured to contribute to a legacy of learning in the community.”The Giuffre Family Library is located at 3223 14 Street SW. Later this year, the Library will announce its plans to continue honouring the public service contributions of Alexander Calhoun, Calgary’s first chief librarian and the Library’s longest-serving CEO.“The Giuffre Family has made significant investment in our city, and we are proud to have them join our family of Add In Founding Partners,” notes Ellen Humphrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Public Library Foundation. “With this gift, the Calgary Public Library Foundation has surpassed $324 million of its $350 million goal.”Calgary Public Library FoundationAdd In—the Campaign for Calgary’s Library, is the largest public campaign for a public library in Canadian history. The $350 million campaign will enhance and support a system of community libraries across Calgary and is inspired by the new Central Library, which will open its doors to the world in 2018. To learn more about Add In and the Calgary Public Library’s vision to create the best public library in the world for Calgarians, visit addin.ca.Calgary Public LibraryCalgary Public Library, with 630,000+ members and 20 locations, has been inspiring the life stories of Calgarians for more than 100 years. It is currently the second largest library system in Canada and the sixth largest municipal library system in North America, with Calgarians borrowing more than 14.6 million physical and digital items and with 6.8 million in-person visits last year. The awe-inspiring 240,000 sq. ft. New Central Library — the newest gathering place for our city — opens in November 2018.- 30 -Media Contacts:Rachael TernerManager of CommunicationsCalgary Public Library FoundationC: 403.680.0626rachael@addin.ca
Read more about "Stories"