Featured Member: The Calgary Public Library

A vibrant public library has no shelf life, as long as people use it.

Celebrating its 110th year as Alberta’s first public library, the Calgary Public Library epitomizes that sense of vitality as an educational, cultural and community space.

Its original location, renamed the National Historic Memorial Park Library, opened in 1912 with a collection of 12,343 books and 8,911 patrons by the end of that year. The Calgary Public Library has since burgeoned with 21 locations, housing three million books collectively and serving 750,000 active users.

“Last year, we saw the highest annual circulation of 14 million items across the city, a record we’ve already broken,” says Mary Kapusta, Director of Communications & Engagement. “Out of that, nine million were printed books and five million were digital items. Our library mirrors what’s exciting for our city, which is a commitment to innovation, prioritizing great visitor experiences, really beautiful facilities, while always looking to the needs of community.”

Community first and last

Community need has been the hallmark of the Calgary Public Library from its inception as a Carnegie Library. It was originally built to nurture the community from all walks of life.

“In that same spirit today, and now that the pandemic is over, the library is going back to the community more than ever to address learning gaps caught by COVID-19,” says Mary. “We’re looking at technology and upscaling jobs to help newcomers. We’re expecting a huge influx of people to Calgary in the coming years; we’re already seeing that increase. We want to ensure our library is their first community stop.”

For this, the Newcomers’ Desk has been hugely successful. “We hear that a library card is the newcomer’s first piece of identification,” she says. “That’s because few barriers exist to accessing this card and the library is a trusted space. Our services range from free driver test tips and volunteer opportunities to job readiness and many other services, whether in person or digitally.”

Indispensable data collection

To understand the needs of patrons, the staff receives and acts on data, regarding user trends.

“We expanded, for example, our Ukrainian- and Russian-language materials, and also our Korean-language materials at Central Calgary Library,” says Mary. “We’re always collecting data on circulation behavior and multi-lingual factors at a particular location that we can support. By focusing on our users, we customize each location and create innovation.”

Four more locations

Although the library is provincial, its services are delivered by municipalities. The work ahead will be challenging, but meaningful.

“I think we’re always trying to create awareness with all our funders, the library’s scale and impact and also the need for ongoing maintenance,” she says. “Our Central Library is beautiful, coming up to its fifth anniversary, but we’re all aware that our 40-year-old inner-city structures need some TLC.”

Meanwhile, four more locations are planned for each quadrant of the city to fill community needs. “Our goal is to have these buildings constructed and operating in two years.”

For private citizens interested in supporting the library, turn to the Calgary Library Foundation. “The members allocate every single dollar to maintain those 21 locations,” says Mary. “They use kickstart money to develop new services. Besides the Newcomers’ Desk or the device-lending program, they created the off-the-shelf book program, providing children under age five with a free book every month. These are just a few examples of the great work done through our foundation.”

Patrons give more than they might realize with an active library card—and it’s free! “Active cards go a long way in demonstrating to funding bodies just how indispensable libraries are to the community,” she adds.

On the same page

Mary’s Chamber membership has been fruitful for gathering ideas on serving the business community even better.

“Job skills, upscaling, newcomer support, technology—these are all items Chamber members have brought to our attention,” says Mary. “Training and retention are big topics, so we’re looking at more programs for youths and teens, including working students who use the library for their study space. We want to ensure our services and spaces resonate with this group, encouraging them to build a future in Calgary.”

Mary’s journey

Mary was one of the newcomers from Toronto, who planned to stay for one work-related year, but the level of volunteer and work opportunities added to the fast pace of Calgary excited her.

“That was 14 years ago,” she says. “I worked in Arts and Culture, then was able to work and open Studio Bell and, then, at Central Library where I oversaw opening activities for that location. I’ve learned through these projects and working with city builders that Calgary is a happening place. There’s a great spirit here that the Chamber members embody. Calgary is an amazing place to live and build a life and we want to make it even better. We’re really driving towards the future.”

Honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events to be held virtually and at various locations on September 29 and 30. For more information about the library, visit calgarylibrary.ca.