The Idea Lab: Where Great Ideas are Born!

The Idea Lab: Where Great Ideas are Born!

Following three months of prototyping, the Idea Lab on the fifth floor of Central Library is officially open for dreamers, innovators, community builders, and entrepreneurs to find inspiration!

The Library created the Idea Lab as a space for innovation and ideation in order to trial elements for the New Central Library. The Library has always been a place of new ideas and support for both small businesses and community development; however, we wanted to make this work visible and encourage new people to start using the Library as a place for problem solving and innovation.

The space, programming, and services in the Idea Lab were all designed in consultation with community members from many different sectors, including representatives from Beakerhead, Bow Valley College, Mount Royal University, CBE, Innovate Calgary, STEM Learning Lab, Chic Geek, and many more.

The Idea Lab is equipped with prototyping tools, creative materials, design-thinking resources (books and activities), and new technology (a Smart KAPP Board and Epson Brightlinks Touch Screen Projector). It is the perfect place for taking ideas to the next level.

Encourage members to join us any Tuesday evening for Idea Coaching from 5:30-6:30. At Idea Coaching, they can learn more about the tools available in the space, get personalized help, and go through a group brainstorming activity. We also have other new programs trialing in the space this fall.

It may be open for ideation, but that doesn’t mean it’s finished! The Idea Lab Steering Committee, Service Delivery, and Service Design will continue to examine how the space can best meet community needs, and what other programs and services should be explored. Together, they are looking at ways of adapting the programming to better suit the Library’s strategic goals and our members’ needs.

Library members can now book the Idea Lab through the regular online booking system, and drop-ins are welcome if the space is available. If you have any questions, Julia Harrington, the Career and Small Business Librarian, would be happy to answer them.

All ideas are welcome!

Introducing Kate Schutz

Kate Schutz is new to the Library’s Service Design team and the world of libraries. She is the former Education Manager at the National Music Centre, where her work spanned from early learners to seniors. Highlights of her experience there included an afterschool program for at-risk teens who were taught to play guitar by volunteer musicians, as well as the time she convinced Polaris-prize winner Tanya Tagaq to throat sing for a theatre full of awestruck grade two kids.

Kate has been part of education teams at the Glenbow Museum, Fort Calgary, and the City Arts Centre in Edmonton. She has a BFA in painting and a MEd. Her MEd research explored artmaking as a contemplative practice that develops empathetic capacity in students. She got to draw a lot, do yoga, and get a graduate degree for it—which was a great fit. Kate was privileged to attend Project Zero, an annual summer intensive offered by Harvard University, to research and learn arts-based teaching practices. She also attended Mount Royal University to study Interior Design, and never wants to talk about carpet with clients ever again.

Kate’s not-so-secret wish is to win a Caldecott. Until her wish can come true, she makes paintings (kateschutz.com) and sews for her daughter Heidi. She loves finding creative solutions to challenging problems, and is passionate about connecting learners to their interests in an authentic, real-world setting. She has worked in a classroom, but nothing beats learning among suits of armour, rare synthesizers, prairie grasslands or shelves and shelves of books.

New Ways to Explore the World Language Collection

The World Language Collection is intended to be a bridge for newcomers to Calgary, who can find discovering new books in their own language a comfort and helpful resource.

The World Language Collection is discoverable—meaning that items can be found by author, title or ISBN, but not key words. Members are able to search for and place holds on books in their own languages on their own devices.

Collections used immigration patterns, community demographics, and circulation to identify the 20 languages represented in the World Language Collection. The books in this collection were previously catalogued similarly to those in the paperback collection. They are now catalogued in the language of publication, and are not translated or transliterated into English. Catalogue records do include a Romanized call number for ease of shelving. These items will show up on pull lists, and they work on self-checkout machines. Over 5,000 new items have been catalogued, and older items will be retroactively catalogued.

Learn more by reading the FAQ!

It’s Gala Mania

Get Ready to Rumble!

Gala Mania—the 39th Annual Bob Edwards Award Gala—will celebrate Calgary’s own Bret “Hitman” Hart and is taking place at the Fairmont Palliser on Friday, November 4.

Like the award’s namesake, Bret Hart is a masterful and provocative storyteller who has made a name for Calgary. Hart and W. Brett Wilson (the 2015 recipient and this year’s emcee) visited the Library Foundation last month to discuss the upcoming gala and their support for the Library.

All proceeds raised from the gala support the Calgary Public Library. During the evening, a battle will take place to raise funds and determine which one of two community libraries will come out as the winner of a new Early Learning Centre. We can’t share any more details, but with any luck, we’ll raise enough for both!

This event has sold out the past three years, so purchase your tickets now. Library staff receive a discount through bobedwardsaward.ca with the code “BobLibrary2016”.

GIVEAWAY!

The Library Foundation has two tickets up for grabs! Email rsvp@addin.ca by Friday, October 21 and tell us the name of Bob Edwards’ satirical newspaper. We’ll contact the winner on Monday, October 24 and share details of the evening in an upcoming issue of The Bulletin!

Thanks from the Foundation

The Calgary Public Library Foundation would like to give a huge round of applause to Facilities and IT for making our move to the Hillier Block last month as seamless of possible. A special shout-out to Steve Donnelly and Mike Thompson for getting us set up in our new home.

SHOW Crew Update

When it comes to shopping baskets in the Library, the SHOW Crew recommends basic black!

As replacement baskets are needed, Managers can initiate a Purchase Requisition through Darrell Kary with the following specs:

Vanguard Shopping Basket SKU 264930. Black.

Measurements: 17"w x 11.5"d x 8.5"h.

The supplier the Library uses is WR Display.

When the baskets arrive, remove the plastic sign reading “PLEASE use a shopping basket.” Place the baskets near the collection. However, they should not be the first thing that patrons see as they enter the Library. You may wish to add a location sticker to each basket as a theft reduction measure.

Looking to update your shelf end signs? The guidelines for font size and subject descriptors have been updated to provide a pleasing aesthetic that will be consistent among all libraries with the ‘new’ white end panels. Take a look in the SHOW Crew SharePoint site SharePoint > Service Delivery > SHOW Crew > Shelf End Signage Instructions. You will also find the recommended paper weight and Spicers order information right at your fingertips.

A View of the Future

New Central Library’s iconic hexagonal panels are being placed! The distinctive panels, reminiscent of our logo, consist of five different shapes, yet each is slightly different from the other. They range in size from 1.2 x 3.7 metres to 2.7 x 9.1 metres, and weigh between 900 and 2,250 kilograms. The windows feature low iron glazing. With 40% of New Central Library’s exterior featuring glass, the type of windows used in the building’s construction make a big difference. Low-iron content glass allows for clear views and a natural appearance. The glass is triple glazed to reduce heat loss and solar gain throughout the year.

The best view of these immense and unique windows is on 9 Avenue, between 3 and 4 Streets SE.