Calgary Public Library

Last updated
Calgary Public Library
Calgary Public Library logo.svg
Location Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Established1912 (1912)
Branches21
Collection
Size2,332,581 (2012)
Access and use
Circulation17,121,718
Other information
DirectorSarah Meilleur
Website calgarylibrary.ca

The Calgary Public Library (CPL) is a distributed library system featuring 21 branch locations including the Central Library. [1] As of 2012, it is the second most used system in Canada (after the Toronto Public Library) [2] and the sixth most used library system in North America. [3] This is despite the fact that the Calgary Public Library has one of the lowest per capita funding in the country, receiving as little as half the money of other Canadian public libraries. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

History

The Calgary Public Library Board of Trustees was established on May 18, 1908. R. B. Bennett, who would later serve as Prime Minister of Canada, was among the five people appointed to the board. [7] The first public library opened on January 2, 1912, thanks in part to the generosity of Scottish / American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. [8] [9]

Memorial Park branch, 2008. The First World War memorial was erected in 1924 by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire. Centralmemorialparklibrary calgary.png
Memorial Park branch, 2008. The First World War memorial was erected in 1924 by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire.

Carnegie funded $80,000 of the $100,000 cost of Calgary's Central Library, (now renamed the Memorial Park Branch), pressuring City Hall to fund the rest. [10]

The building was the first purpose-built public library in Alberta. It was designed by Boston architects McLean & Wright, and built out of local Paskapoo Sandstone (a soft stone that today presents a substantial preservation challenge). This library branch is a copy of a library in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

In 1929 the formal Victorian-style park surrounding the Central Library was dedicated to the honour of those who had died in the Great War. During construction of the original building, the Calgary Library Board sought out a librarian to oversee the opening of its new library. In January 1911, Alexander Calhoun, a thirty-one-year-old graduate of Queen's University, was appointed Calgary's Librarian. Calhoun served as the head of the Calgary Public Library until his retirement in 1945. [11] [12]

When a new downtown central library was constructed in the early 1960s, the original branch was renamed the Memorial Park branch, and still operates today. An addition to the 1960s Central Library was built in 1974, doubling the size of the building. [13]

21st century

In 2013, CNOOC subsidiary Nexen donated 1.5M dollars to the Calgary Public Library. The company has secured the naming rights for high tech learning commons in the new Calgary Central Library. CNOOC CEO Li Fanrong reiterated the gesture was motivated by the company's corporate responsibilities to Calgary. [14] There have been concerns of censorship as CNOOC is a Chinese state run company, however McIntyre Royston library foundation head assures that the library's collection won't be censored.

Logo used prior to rebranding in January 2015 Calgary Public Library logo.png
Logo used prior to rebranding in January 2015

The location of the new library is in the Downtown East Village (just across 3rd St. S.E. from the new City Hall). [15] On February 25, 2013, City Hall was approved the master plan to have the new library be built at the fore-mentioned location at Downtown East Village with the overall cost of C$245 million. The 286,000-square foot complex was completed on November 1, 2018. [16] [17] [18]

In 2019, the new library was recognized as one of "The Worlds 100 Greatest Places of 2019" by Time magazine. [19]

In 2019, Calgary opened Seton Library at the World's Largest YMCA (Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the library introduced expanded online services for patrons and provided health resources developed by 19 to Zero, a health communications initiative led by Alberta students. [20]

Branches

Southwest Community Libraries

Southeast Community Libraries

Northwest Community Libraries

Northeast Community Libraries

Former branches

Renamed branches

Services

Statistics

Calgary Public Library Facts (2012): [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 2, commonly referred to as Highway 2 or the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, is a major highway in Alberta that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande Prairie. Running primarily north to south for approximately 1,273 kilometres (791 mi), it is the longest and busiest highway in the province carrying more than 170,000 vehicles per day near Downtown Calgary. The Fort Macleod—Edmonton section forms a portion of the CANAMEX Corridor that links Alaska to Mexico. More than half of Alberta's 4 million residents live in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor created by Highway 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deerfoot Trail</span> Freeway in Calgary

Deerfoot Trail is a 46.4-kilometre (28.8 mi) freeway segment of Highway 2 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It stretches the entire length of the city from south to north and links suburbs to downtown via Memorial Drive and 17 Avenue SE. The freeway begins south of Calgary where it splits from Macleod Trail, crosses the Bow River into city limits, and reaches the Stoney Trail ring road. Crisscrossing twice more with the river, it intersects Glenmore Trail and Memorial Drive; the former is a major east–west expressway while the latter is a freeway spur into downtown. In north Calgary, it crosses Highway 1 and passes Calgary International Airport before ending at a second interchange with Stoney Trail. Highway 2 becomes the Queen Elizabeth II Highway as it continues north into Rocky View County towards Edmonton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hall station (Calgary)</span> Light rail station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

City Hall Station is a Calgary C-Train light rail station in Calgary, Alberta. It is located on the 7 Avenue transit mall between Macleod Trail and 3 Street S.E. It is the easternmost station downtown, and serves as a Gateway station. It was the first downtown station to have dual-side platforms. It serves both the Red Line and the Blue Line and is the eastern extent of the free-fare zone. The station is located inside of the Downtown Commercial Core on the southeastern area of the community, near the border of the Downtown East Village community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoney Trail</span> Freeway in Calgary, Alberta

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 201, officially named Stoney Trail and Tsuut'ina Trail, is an approximately 92-kilometre (57 mi) freeway in Calgary, Alberta. It forms part of the CANAMEX Corridor which connects Calgary to Edmonton and Interstate 15 in the United States via Highways 2, 3, and 4. Planned for a total length of 101 kilometres, the final segment of the ring road is currently under construction to be completed by 2024 at the latest, delayed from an original target of 2022. The freeway serves as a bypass for the congested routes of 16 Avenue N and Deerfoot Trail through Calgary. At its busiest point near Beddington Trail in north Calgary, the six-lane freeway carried nearly 79,000 vehicles per day in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Highway 1A</span> Designation for two disconnected sections of provincial highway in Alberta, Canada

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 1A is the designation of two alternate routes off the Alberta portion of Trans-Canada Highway 1. However, it is not the only name used for spurs off Highway 1 - Highway 1X is another such designation. Despite these highways being suffixed routes of Highway 1, they are not part of the Trans-Canada Highway network, and are signed with Alberta's provincial primary highway shields instead of the Trans-Canada shields used for Highway 1.

Crowchild Trail is a major expressway in western Calgary, Alberta. The segment from the 12 Mile Coulee Road at the edge of the city to 16 Avenue NW is designated as Highway 1A by Alberta Transportation. The road is a critical north-south link in West Calgary for both downtown bound traffic and travel between the two quadrants of the city it passes through. Although planned to be one single freeway from Glenmore Trail to the city limits, the route is currently divided by a section of slow moving arterial road with four signalized intersections between 24 Avenue and Memorial Drive. This causes the freeway in the northwest to separated from the freeway south of the Bow River. Filling the gap and making the whole route a minimum six lane freeway is currently planned for construction beyond 2027.

The city of Calgary, Alberta, has a large transportation network that encompasses a variety of road, rail, air, public transit, and pedestrian infrastructure. Calgary is also a major Canadian transportation centre and a central cargo hub for freight in and out of north-western North America. The city sits at the junction between the "Canamex" highway system and the Trans-Canada Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnyside, Calgary</span> Neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Sunnyside is an innercity community in Calgary, Alberta located on the north side of the Bow River immediately adjacent to Calgary's downtown. The community partners with the neighbouring community of Hillhurst to form the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association. The combined communities have an area redevelopment plan in place, revised in 2009.

Transport in Edmonton is fairly typical for a Canadian city of its size, involving air, rail, road and public transit. With very few natural barriers to growth and largely flat to gently rolling terrain bisected by a deep river valley, the city of Edmonton has expanded to cover an area of nearly 768 km2 (297 sq mi), of which only two-thirds is built-up, while the metropolitan area covers around 9,430 km2 (3,640 sq mi). This has resulted in a heavily private transportation-oriented transportation network typical of any other city of its size in North America. However, Edmonton does not have the extensive limited access freeway system typical of what one would find in a US metro area, and the road network is somewhat unusual in regard to access to downtown.

Southwood is a residential neighbourhood in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is bounded by 98th Avenue to the north, Macleod Trail to the east, Anderson Road to the south and 14th Street SW to the west. Southland Drive passes through the northern part of the community. A major roadway, Elbow Drive, bisects the community.

Elboya is a residential neighbourhood in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is bounded by the Elbow River to the north, 4th Street SW / 45 Avenue SW / Macleod Trail to the east, 50 Avenue S to the south and Elbow Drive to the west. Stanley Park borders the community to the northeast.

Shawnee Slopes is a residential neighbourhood in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is bounded to the south by James McKevitt Road, to the east by Macleod Trail, to the north by Fish Creek Provincial Park and to the west by Evergreen Street SW.

Fairview is a residential neighbourhood in the southeast quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is bounded to the north by Glenmore Trail to the east by Blackfoot Trail, to the south by Heritage Drive and to the west by Macleod Trail. Fairmount Drive bisects the neighbourhood from north to south and Chinook Centre is located northwest from the community. Fairview features homes built in the late 1950s and early 1960s on what are now considered large lots. Many are in the 1,000 sq ft range with most being bungalows. Many homes are still owned and occupied by the original owners. One of the smaller communities in Calgary with about 1,200 single family homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre Street (Calgary)</span> Major street in Calgary, Alberta

Centre Street is a major road in Calgary, Alberta, and defines the east and west halves of the city for the purposes of street addresses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaganappi Trail</span> Major super-4 expressway in the northwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta

Shaganappi Trail is a major super-4 expressway in the northwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It extends to the south as Montgomery View, a small service road in the neighbourhood of Montgomery and that provides access to Edworthy Park, passes north past Market Mall and the western boundary of Nose Hill Park, and terminates in the neighbourhood of Nolan Hill in the north, with city planning maps indicating future northern extension beyond 144 Avenue NW. The name "Shaganappi" is of Cree origin, referring to the bison hide lacings that held Red River ox carts together. Despite the name, it is not located near the Shaganappi neighbourhood, which is located south of the Bow River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaganappi Point station</span> Light rail station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Shaganappi Point station is a CTrain light rail station in Shaganappi, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located in the median of Bow Trail, just west of 26th St. SW, 3km West of the 7 Avenue & 9 Street SW Interlocking. The second station on the West line, it opened with preview service on December 8, 2012, and opened for revenue service on December 10, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bow Trail</span>

Bow Trail is an expressway in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It gets its name from the Bow River, which runs through the city north of the road itself. It runs from downtown Calgary, where the westbound traffic continues from 6 Avenue SW and eastbound traffic becomes 9 Avenue SW, to 85 Street SW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16 Avenue N</span> Road in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

16 Avenue N is a major road in Calgary, Alberta, that forms a 26.5-kilometre (16.5 mi) segment of Highway 1 and connects Calgary to Banff and Medicine Hat. It is a four to six-lane principal arterial expressway at its extremities, but is an urban arterial road between the Bow River and Bowness Road, and also between Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail. Due to Calgary's quadrant system, it is known as 16 Avenue NW west of Centre Street and 16 Avenue NE to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14 Street W (Calgary)</span>

14 Street W is the name of two major arterial roads and a short collector road in Calgary, Alberta, separated by the Elbow River and the West Nose Creek valley. Originally proposed as a continuous route and north-south freeway, the plans were cancelled in favor of 24 Street W, which became Crowchild Trail.

References

  1. Zickefoose, Sherri (July 2, 2012). "Calgary library system defies Alberta trend of slowing patronage". Calgary Herald . Archived from the original on July 6, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  2. 1 2 "Calgary Public Library Report to the Community 2012 (page 33)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. "Calgary's library system is 6th-busiest in North America". CBC. January 29, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  4. "2012 Calgary Public Library Audited Financial Statements" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  5. "Invest in the Next 100". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  6. "Cash Cow: User Fees in Alberta Public Libraries" . Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  7. Gorosh,E. Calgary's "Temple of Knowledge": A History of the Public Library. 1975 Century Calgary Publications. p.5.
  8. "Carnegie Library, Calgary, Alberta". Community Heritage and Family History Digital Library. Calgary: Calgary Public Library. 2002-06-04. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  9. Zickefoose, Sherri (June 1, 2012). "How a great city acquired a great library (Unlikely champions were ardent supporters of free books)". Calgary Herald . Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  10. Gorosh, E. Calgary's 'Temple of Knowledge'. Calgary, Alberta: Century Calgary Publications, 1975. p. 6 http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=498191 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Nicholson, Barbara; Lohnes, Donna (1987). "Alexander Calhoun". In Foran, Max; Jameson, Sheilagh S. (eds.). Citymakers: Calgarians after the frontier. Historical Society of Alberta; Chinook Country Chapter. pp. 149–172. ISBN   0-88925-725-6.
  12. Ward, Rachel (30 March 2018). "How Calgary's 'revolutionary' first librarian shaped the city". CBC. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  13. Gorosh, E. Calgary's 'Temple of Knowledge'. Calgary, Alberta: Century Calgary Publications, 1975. p.106 http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=498191 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Markusoff, Jason (September 13, 2014). "Chinese state-owned CNOOC makes largest-ever donation to Calgary Public Library". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013.
  15. "New central library - FAQ" . Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  16. "New Central Library Plan Takes Shape: The Master Plan". Calgary Herald . February 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  17. "New Central Library on its way to being realized". The City of Calgary Newsroom. February 25, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  18. "New central library plan approved by council ($245-million project to be built in East Village next to city hall by 2018)". CBRT-DT (CBC News Calgary). February 26, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  19. "Calgary's Central Library earns some major recognition from Time". Calgary. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  20. "COVID-19". Calgary Public Library . Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  21. Brennan, Brian (2012) The Calgary Public Library: Inspiring Life Stories Since 1912. Calgary: Calgary Public Library p. 63
  22. "Report to the Community 2013" (PDF). Calgary Public Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2022.