Freedom to Read Week 2017
Joye Bowen-Eyre, Calgary Board of Education Trustee (Wards 1 & 2); Julie Hrdlicka, Calgary Board of Education Trustee (Wards 11 & 13); and Jeannie Everett, Superintendent of Learning, CBE, join Bill Ptacek and Shereen Samuels, Library Board, to celebrate Freedom to Read Week with Mayor Nenshi.
On Monday, February 27, Bill Ptacek presented Mayor Naheed Nenshi with a copy of When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid, this year’s Freedom to Read Week challenged book. This debut young adult novel has both garnered the Governor’s General Award and provoked a petition to revoke the award. Notably, Reid’s book was also the first young adult book selected for inclusion in the 2015 edition of Canada Reads.
In light of Canada’s sesquicentennial and changes in our world that may potentially challenge individual rights and intellectual freedom, Freedom to Read Week underscores the fundamental importance of the need to build empathy. Celebrate your own freedom to read; pick up a banned or challenged book and encourage our members to do the same!
Some Thoughts on Noise in Libraries by Mark Asberg, Director, Service Delivery
Calgary Public Library serves many diverse interests and needs and is busier than ever. At the same time, social norms about acceptable behaviour in public spaces such as libraries are shifting. It’s not surprising that some members are finding the Library to be a less quiet place than it used to be. Indeed, public libraries will never be as quiet as they once were.
What makes the Library great is that it is a place where anyone can undertake countless pursuits, even when these pursuits are social and active in nature. The Library is a place to help children learn to read through play, study jovially with friends after school, explore social relationships through games, sing songs and listen to books read aloud, and, yes, socialize energetically with fellow Calgarians and make new friends through Library programs and events.
In short, the Library is a very busy (even boisterous) place where learning and community happens. As a result, this makes for a complex physical setting in which diverse expectations and interests may be in conflict.
While members concerned about noise do have some different options (e.g. using headphones or visiting the library at quieter times), the best solution to balancing the different activities in community libraries is longer term: zoning library spaces so that different types of activity levels can co-exist as happily as possible.
That’s why we are actively working to increase the availability of dedicated quiet study spaces in Library renovations and new builds.
The newly renovated Nose Hill Library now has improved zones for interaction, computer use, and meetings–allowing for better noise control (depending on user need).
At Nose Hill Library, we added two additional meeting rooms and we moved the children’s space to an area of the Library where activities in it would be less conspicuous to those using the Library for quiet study.
The upcoming renovation at Crowfoot Library will include a large quiet reading room and two small breakout rooms.
Three separate meeting rooms at Quarry Park Library help manage sound in the space, as does the placement of the children’s area some distance from the reading area. Perhaps the most significant demonstration of our commitment to quiet study will be New Central Library’s Great Reading Room, completely dedicated to quiet study on the top floor.
In the end, it’s great news that our community libraries are active and busy places; it means the Library is making a difference in more people’s lives than ever before.
Library Story: Heather Heikkinen
Sharing Our Very Own Library Stories
Heather grew up in Bridgeland, and her earliest memories of the Library involve walking unaccompanied to Central Library. “Back in those days, nobody checked to see if you were accompanied by a parent,” she says. “But then again, people didn’t lock their doors either!”
Heather started working part time at Country Hills Library in 2013. She found herself back at Central in 2015 as part of the Information Services team as a Reference Assistant but knew she’d miss doing storytimes. “You can imagine how excited I was when I heard that we were going to provide more storytimes at Central!” she says with a grin.
Heather’s passion for building a strong community and supporting our members shines through whether she is teaching technology classes at Central Library or building new partners for Digital Literacy in the Community. Ask her about Google Drive or résumé templates!
Heather Heikkinen holding the "!"
Currently finishing her Masters in Library and Information Science after receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art + Design in 2013, Heather spends her free time painting. She also enjoys spending time with her adult daughter and 3 pound, 10-year-old Chihuahua.
If you see Heather on the bus or in a store, don’t be surprised if she’s sharing about the services the Library provides. “I am excited about the direction the Library is headed,” she says. “I take every opportunity I can to spread the word about services that we offer.”
Heather’s Best Public Library for World traits include: putting members first, passion for enriching lives, promoting lifelong learning, engaged, enthusiasm
Heather’s parting words: “I believe that a smile not only sets the tone, but also is universal and FREE.”
Spring Friends of the Library Fundraising Breakfast
Save the date! The Library Foundation is hosting the second Friends of the Library Fundraising Breakfast the morning of Sunday, April 23 at Central Library.
Expanding on the format of the Get to Know Your Library tours, attendees will hear about the impact the Library has had on the lives of community members, getting to the heart of the Library—changing lives and inspiring a life-long love of learning.
The Library Foundation’s goal for these events is to engage potential donors and encourage long-term commitments. While everyone is asked to make a donation, any amount is greatly appreciated. Thanks to guests in attendance, and a number of donors who made commitments in advance of the event, more than $200,000 was raised at the first Friends of the Library Fundraising Breakfast in December.
Plan now to attend the spring Friends of the Library Fundraising Breakfast on Sunday, April 23!
To make our spring Friends of the Library Fundraising Breakfast a success, we need people who are passionate about the Library to act as table hosts. If you’d be interested in hosting a table for your friends or family, please contact Denise Da Costa, Leadership Giving Coordinator, at denise@addin.ca or 403.260.2631.
A message from a Library donor who supported the Forest Lawn Library Nature Playground:
"I want to support the Library because I hope that kids from this neighbourhood continue to succeed in life and go on to do great things. Education, community, and acceptance are the best start."
Three Things for Canada
For Canada’s 150th birthday, let’s all give the gift of three things.
Three acts of service for our neighbourhoods, our nation, and the world.
That’s 100 million acts of community service!