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Stories come to life with animated pictures that help young children learn to read.
Read more about "Bookflix"Yodel-ay-hee-hoo! Calling all Toy Story fans come meet the come-to-life toy cowgirl herself, Jessie. This western princess will have you up boot scoot and boogieing during this...
Read more about "Stampede 2023 Meet and greet with Jessie the Toy Cowgirl"When Susan Calder’s husband was transferred to Calgary for work in 1996, she was happy to make the move with her young family. But, unfamiliar with her new city, she struggled to find reasons to get out of the house.“I wasn’t working when we first moved here — I was just writing, and spending time with the kids. So I really needed something to keep me active, keep me social,” she says.Her solution came during a trip to Fish Creek Library, when she picked up a copy of the Library’s program guide and noticed a listing for a book club. “I’d never been in a book club before, but I’d always been interested in the concept. It seemed the logical thing to do as a book lover,” she says.Susan fell in love with the club immediately. Not only did it give her a way to make new friends in Calgary, but she discovered that the group was full of people who shared her interest in and love of stories. They offered her a different way of looking at the written word, which helped her to improve her craft as an aspiring author.“It’s been incredibly useful to me as a writer,” she says, “because it’s a look at writing from the reader’s perspective. I can see how almost no book is loved by everybody — no matter how well written. You start to understand that it's really all a matter of taste, and you feel a lot better when people don’t like your work.”At 23 years, Susan is one of the longest-attending members of the book club. While her book club has since become too popular to accept new members, the Library offers other book discussion groups. “What’s really nice about the group is that we often disagree heartily, but there’s never any ill-will about it,” she says of her tight-knit reading community. “We respect each other, and the divergence of opinions is quite lovely. People come away with a bit more of an appreciation for the book, and each other's point of view. You feel like you’ve stretched a bit, and grown, for having read outside of your comfort zone."A New Book Club MemberLittle did Susan realize that her passion for the club wasn’t going unnoticed. Although her husband was an avid reader, she never would have imagined him wanting to join a book club. It came as a total shock when, shortly after he retired in 2007, he asked her if he could tag along to a meeting. “I’d go out on book club day, come home and tell him about some of the discussions — the people, what they had to say. I didn’t really realize that all these years I had basically been selling the book club to him.” Unsure if her husband, who mostly read murder-mystery novels, would be on the same page as her literary-loving friends, Susan was hesitant to allow him to join her, but eventually, she gave in. Luckily for both Susan and her husband, her fears never materialized. Her husband has been a member of the club for over a decade now, even volunteering to lead discussions on the occasion that the group pursues a murder-mystery.“We don’t often talk about the books before the club meets, because we don’t want to influence each other’s opinions,” she says, “We’re able to approach it as individuals. But we do sometimes like to talk about them after, and it’s a social event as well, so it gives us something extra in common that we can do together.”More PossibilitiesThe Library is about much more than books for Susan and her family. “When we moved to Calgary, the opportunities just opened up. There were more possibilities for me to engage with the Library. There was more offered to me,” she says.Aside from attending her monthly book club, she also sharpens her writing skills with workshops and writing programs, attending several each month. She and her husband frequently borrow DVDs and CDs to watch movies and listen to music, and once attended Tech Mentors for three weeks in a row to get help fixing their computer.“Right now, we’re planning a trip to Italy,” she says, “so I’ve just taken out a series of audiobooks and things to try to learn a few essential words of Italian before we go.”Susan also likes to give back to the Library, and frequently shares her talents through panel discussions and readings of her work. Now an accomplished local author, Susan discussed her latest book, To Catch a Fox, in May at the Writing as Medicine program, and will discuss her contributions to the literary art exhibit Print(ed) Word: The Salon Series, which is displayed in the Central Library's TD Great Reading Room, in August.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 Opportunities Just Opened Up' A book club at the Library was the beginning of Susan Calder's Library Story"Launch your New Year healthy with Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric neuroendocrinologist who has long been on the cutting edge of medicine and science, as he tells the “real story of...
Read more about "The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine: An Author Talk with Dr. Robert Lustig"What’s the next step after you’ve written the story? Come discuss the paths to get your work in front of readers. What is a query? How do you make the most of social media? You’ll...
Read more about "LitCon 2022 - Pitch and Publish: Finished Your Story, Now What?"As Central Library approaches its second birthday on November 1, 2020, six Central Library patrons, visitors, and staff share their stories of the space, and reflect on how the community has made it their own in the two years since opening. Want to share your own Library Story with us? Submit it here.John Warkentin “Central is important to me because I read a lot of fiction and it’s a convenient location for me. Going to a public place for free and finding knowledge or finding a quiet moment and rest — lots of people come here just for a quiet moment and that’s a beautiful thing.” Elizabeth Cheme “Central Library is a really nice location. I love the architecture and how they mixed wood at the entrance. This is great place for me to meet my clients because I don’t work out of an office. I have also used one of its recording studios to record a video for a client because he didn’t have a budget to pay for a professional videographer and studio, so we made the video using the resources here. "The Library is important to me because it made me feel like I was not alone. When I came to Canada five years ago, I was still learning English, but the Library felt welcoming and safe. I was able to meet new people and find new ways to be creative. I even took a small business program which inspired me to become an entrepreneur. Right now, I’m running my own business as a marketing consultant and I’m here today doing some marketing research through the Central Library. The Library provides you with the tools to improve yourself. I like to check out DVDs that cover topics like self-awareness and empowerment, especially for women. This is the best place to get involved and even learn about Canadian culture.” René Kamguem “I visited the first day that Central opened, or maybe a few days before the opening, because I was volunteering with the Library. The architecture is very good, I really like it. The new Library is bigger and there is more space for people. There are lots of activities and events for everyone.” Hailey Mckevitt “I didn’t know about Central Library until I started nannying and the need sort of came. I started looking for nearby libraries and which locations were near the train line. I visit with the kids to help them choose their books — it’s become a big part of our time together. The kids really enjoy it. Books are a huge part of their learning and of their life. It allows them to generate their imagination and it’s nice to be able to have a new selection of books for them to enjoy.” Yusra Said “My first visit was actually two weeks ago. Central Library is very beautiful, has a lot of open space and open light so it doesn’t feel crowded, especially during this pandemic. And I really like the services. It’s a really supportive environment. I don’t have a printer at home so that’s one of the main services I use here. The other thing I use the Library for is sitting in this open space — it’s a different environment from working from home online. It’s really nice to be in an open space with other people. And Central has this beautiful view of the city from inside the Library.” Mark Schultz “I’d say Central Library has improved a lot and we are always working on new programs and different ways to serve the public. There was a bit of an adjustment with the move but it’s a beautiful space and has good people. I love the people here; the staff members and the patrons are wonderful. And we have some lovely art pieces around the Library!”
Read more about "Stories Six Library Patrons Reflect on Central Library ahead of Second Birthday"Learn new ideas for play by exploring all five senses through movement, play, story, and song outdoors. Programs are weather dependant.
Read more about "Outdoor Words and Wiggles"When Calgary mom Mirna Khaled’s young daughter Julia felt she could not relate to picture books because none of the characters were in a wheelchair like her, Mirna helped write Julia her own book.Julia is an eight-year-old who has cerebral palsy. Her mother Mirna wanted people to "see her, not the wheelchair," so she and Julia’s aunt, Rawan Khaled, wrote and illustrated a book about Julia and her cousin Annabella, called Julia and Bella.The story is about Julia getting bullied at school and her headband being stolen. Annabella helps Julia feel better, including buying her a new headband.Mirna hopes the story will educate other kids about why Julia is in a wheelchair, and teach them that a wheelchair is "not something to be ashamed of.""I wanted her to see someone like her," Mirna said.Julia and Bella is on the shelves at libraries throughout Calgary, including Forest Lawn Library, where the Khaled family frequently visits. Julia personally put copies on the shelves at Forest Lawn Library last fall."I couldn’t believe it," Mirna said when she learned that Julia’s book would be on Library shelves.Mirna, Julia, and Jalal, Julia’s twin brother, moved to Calgary in June 2015 from Lebanon. Mirna, a single mother, wanted a better education and more opportunities for her children.In Lebanon, Julia was not allowed to go to school because the school didn’t have the resources to support her, even though Mirna was an assistant principal. Mirna said people in Lebanon would look at Julia with pity, but in Canada they smile at her and encourage her.The mother and daughter have a close bond, and Jalal loves to help his mother take care of Julia. "My brother is strong, nice, and he helps," Julia said.Julia’s personality changed drastically after the family moved to Canada. Before moving to Canada, Julia was non-verbal. Mirna said she will never forget the day that Julia started speaking to strangers and having a conversation with them.Now Julia initiates conversation with people and always has a smile on her face. She can string together full sentences, in both Arabic and English, and she loves to read books. "Education is her weapon to face the problems in life," Mirna said.The Forest Lawn Library was a big part of Julia’s advancement in reading and learning, Mirna said. Since they moved to Calgary, Julia and her family regularly visit the Library."[The Library] is a safe place to educate and play with your kids," Mirna said. "The Library is the perfect place to meet your neighbours and friends. It’s easy to come here, it’s accessible."Moving to Canada, Mirna had a dream to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. She wants people to know that Julia "can do everything that you do but in her own special way."Mirna created a Facebook page to get the word out about Julia. She is now selling the book, Julia and Bella, and handmade headbands at markets around the city to raise money for a future surgery to enable Julia to walk.Mirna has always had faith in Julia advancing. "I know that she is a smart girl," she said. "I know she can do it. I know she can learn."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 Perfect Place to Meet Your Neighbours’ Julia Khaled is breaking down barriers with her Library Story"As a little kid in the 1980s, I had assumed public libraries only existed on television — that they were part of a dream world that was totally unattainable in my own life as a child of Chinese immigrants. But when I was eight-years-old, a friend’s mother suggested we go get some books at the Library. In Calgary? Really? We had more than just school libraries here?Roaming among shelf after shelf of books, I was hooked. I memorized the location of the Thorncliffe Library (now called Judith Umbach Library) and asked my mother to bring me back for my own Library card the following week. For a shy bookish girl, it was a dream come true.I read almost everything, but my favourite books were by Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, and Judy Blume. As I got older I enjoyed reading The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High, and other series. It was a treat to find them at the Library, since $3.95 for a book was pretty much an impossible sum of money to me as a kid.Now as a mother of three, I have become a regular Library user again. At first, I signed up for a card so I could attend a baby class at Country Hills Library with my eldest, but then I got the Library app on my phone and everything changed.It’s so easy to put books on hold through the app, and it has revitalized my reading. Last year I read 64 books, and most of those books were from the Library. I bring my kids to Country Hills Library at least every other week — sometimes more! — and they love to pick out all sorts of reading material. We take out about 20 books at a time. My girls, ages eight and seven, are big readers, and my three-year-old also loves to be read to. The Library has always represented limitless possibility to me — so many books waiting to be read — and all that reading has inspired me to write my own book manuscript, a graphic memoir on postpartum depression. While working on the book, I borrowed a lot of graphic novels and memoirs from the Library so I could get a good sense of other books in the genre. And I just want to say that whoever is responsible for acquiring graphic novels for the Library is doing an excellent job. The Library has been an invaluable resource for me both personally and professionally.Follow Teresa and view her drawings on Instagram at @by_teresawong.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories "I Read Almost Everything" Discovering the Library was a dream come true in Teresa Wong's Library Story"Take a trip to space, the forest, or the deep blue sea with rhymes, songs, and stories that celebrate exploring.
Read more about "Adventurer Baby"Join us for an extra dose of springtime songs, stories, and finger plays - for you and your baby bunny.
Read more about "Hoppy Baby Bunnies"Stories are a central part of the human experience. Join Storytelling Alberta and explore the traditional art and skill of oral storytelling through exercises and hands-on...
Read more about "Jump into Storytelling"In Calgary’s Story, presented by Walt and Irene DeBoni, enlarged photographs give you a glimpse of what Calgary and its surrounding area used to look like. Materials celebrating the city, southern Alberta, and Western Canada’s unique stories, can be found here.
Read more about "History surrounds you."Description: Calgary's Best-selling author is back, and this time she is taking it on the road. Come talk to Lori Beattie about her book Calgary's Best Walks then do one of those...
Read more about "Calgary's Best Walks"It takes a village to build a city. Cities are built over time by many people and over many generations. New technologies, like drones and virtual reality, can help us to...
Read more about "Ask a Scientist about Cities and How a Drone Can Help Build Them"