Quarry Park Library Update

Quarry Park Library Update

Artist rendering of Quarry Park Library in the Remington YMCA

Quarry Park Library in the Remington YMCA is coming July 2! Like Saddletowne, Shawnessy, and Village Square, the new library will be located in a city recreational facility. Quarry Park’s fresh, modern design features lit shelving, comfortable furniture in terrific spaces for reading, studying, and collaboration, as well as a meeting room for community

groups. The study area is situated in the floor plan in a way that’s designed to keep it quiet. The new library will boast a great space for playing and learning in the children’s area, featuring special “Read and Play” early literacy kits (developed in partnership with the YMCA, with funding from Imperial Oil).

Quarry Park replaces Glenmore Square Library. Glenmore Square will close at the end of day, June 18, but not before the community gathers to say goodbye to Glenmore Square Library and say thanks for many years of service to the area. Staff are welcome to attend this event, too! Cookies and refreshments will be served between 10 am and 3 pm. Books and other materials will move from Glenmore to Quarry Park on June 20, in anticipation of the new library’s opening on July 2.

Pilot Program Brings Library’s e-Resources to CBE

On May 16, as part of a pilot program, students and teachers of three Calgary Board of Education classes received an email from Calgary Public Library, inviting them to use the Library’s cache of more than 130 electronic databases. Access to these free e-resources creates the opportunity for kids to develop vital information literacy skills—skills that will serve students well throughout their educational careers and beyond. (The email included an invitation for students to sign up for the Library’s summer reading programs.)

To make the process as easy as possible, the Library’s IT department pre-loaded user IDs into our system so that students and teachers could use their CBE email to log in instead of the more traditional numeric barcodes. As well, Library team members are reaching out in person to encourage the students to use the e-resources, answer students’ questions, and help evaluate the success of the program.

The pilot will be extended to include all CBE students and teachers in the fall. The sites involved in the current pilot include Robert Thirsk (Grade 10, near Crowfoot), MidSun, (Grade 7, near Shawnessy), and Guy Weadick (Grade 2, near Village Square) schools.

The idea for the project originated in monthly meetings held between the CBE and the Library. The Library’s partnership with CBE makes it possible for us to create incredible opportunities to engage with Calgary students. It’s also a fantastic example of how the CBE worked together with Library staff—including the Partnership Development, Service Delivery, Service Design, IT, and MarCom departments—to make this an enriching (and easy) initiative for teachers and students.

To see the online resource page that kids and teachers are using, go to calgarylibrary.ca/school.

Here is a sampling of the 130 e-resources we’re offering to the CBE

Academic Search Premier • Artemis Literary Sources • Auto Repair Reference Center • Beanstack • BookFlix • brainfuse HelpNow • Canadian Encyclopedia • Canadian Points of View • Career Cruising • Choices Explorer • Cloud Library • Early World of Learning • eReading Room for Kids • ERIC • Europa World Plus • Freegal Music • Gale Virtual Reference Library • Health & Wellness Resource Center • hoopla • Job & Career Accelerator • Learning Express • Mango Languages • MasterFILE Complete • Muzzy Online • My Canada • National Geographic Kids • Naxos Music Library • Newspaper Direct Press Display • NoveList K-8 Plus • OverDrive • Oxford Language Dictionaries • PebbleGo • Rosetta Stone Library Solution • Science Reference Center • Shakespeare Collection • SOLARO • TumbleBookLibrary • World Book Online for Kids • Zinio Online Magazines

Nose Hill Renovation

Artist rendering of Nose Hill Library's renovation

Nose Hill Library’s renovation is in full swing, making a great community library even better! The new look will feature a light, bright, fresh design. When the renovation completes in the fall, Nose Hill will showcase lit shelving, great spaces for reading, studying, and collaboration, meeting rooms for small groups, and interactive “play as learning” elements in the children’s area. The reoriented floor plan will keep the study area quiet. New furniture will invite patrons to gather and enjoy the space. Barrier-free universal design washrooms are being installed. And Nose Hill will be the latest library to feature an Automated Return System.

For years, Nose Hill has proudly featured the “Brentwood” mural by artists Kirsten Horel and Cheri Macaulay. We are delighted to announce that the Library is working with the artists to safely relocate the mural that has held a special place in the hearts of the community during its stay at Nose Hill Library.

Best Year Ever For a Canadian Library

On Tuesday May 17, the Calgary Public Library Foundation held its Annual General Meeting in the Nicholls Family Library at Westbrook Station. As shared in its Year in Review, the Library Foundation raised $7.4 million in 2015—the most funds raised annually for a Canadian Library. The Library Foundation also presented its new Add In Campaign folder, which acts as an introduction to the capital campaign and outlines its four pillars: Information, Inspiration, Imagination, and Innovation. Download the Year in Review or find out more about Add In at addin.ca.

The Bulletin Board

A Year in a B & B in Banff

Join award-winning author Jamie MacVicar for an entertaining exploration of life in Banff, and the trials of running a Bed and Breakfast. Learn how you can share your own experiences in a written memoir.

May 31, 7:00 pm | Fish Creek Library

Palestine in the Present Tense

Award-winning author Marcello Di Cintio discusses his work-in-progress: a political and literary travelogue that reveals life in contemporary Palestine seen through the eyes of the region's poets and authors.

June 8, 7:00 pm | Nicholls Family Library

The 2016 Bob Edwards Award Gala

The 2016 Bob Edwards Award Gala will be held on November 3, 2016 at the Fairmont Palliser. Tickets are now on sale at www.bobedwardsaward.ca.

Marcello Di Cintio

Baby Rhyme Time Birthday

A mom at a recent Southwood Baby Rhyme Time asked if she could bring a snack for all the kids, as it was her little guy’s first birthday (the one in the white star overall shorts) on the same day as the next class. The next week, she brought Baby Mum-Mums for all! It turns out they have no family here in Calgary, so Mom was just thrilled to share his special day with the whole group. We sang Happy Birthday and a good time was had by all!

–Joanne Mattson, Reference Assistant