Calgary Public Library

Our Spring Luncheon with Ellen Humphrey, President & CEO of the CPL.

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At this year’s Spring Luncheon we welcomed Ellen Humphrey, Julia Harrington and Christine Gingerick, from the Calgary Public Library. Ellen shared wonderful slides and stories of change. She contrasted photos from early days at the Memorial Park Library to the new downtown jewel soon to be unveiled. From a “Hush! Hush!” space of quiet and books, we now have tech-friendly, event-filled spaces that welcome hustle and bustle alongside those books. For those of us nostalgic for a quiet reading room full of books, the CPL has got that covered too!

Our Spring Luncheon and AGM in the elegant Calgary Golf and Country Club caps off our 2017-2018 year of Favorite Authors! For posterity, here are some “snaps”. We thank Cecilia and her helpers, who added so many special touches! The tables were gorgeous.

P.S. Your webmaster tried to capture everyone: Regrettably, I note that I missed Doloris, our incoming President, no less. Did I miss anyone else? I hope not!

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Bruce Hunter: CPL’s 2017 Author in Residence

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Photo of Bruce Hunter

From website: brucehunter.ca

On November 21, 2017, we were so lucky to welcome the Calgary Public Library’s Author in Residence, Bruce Hunter, in his last week of tenure!

Rosemary Griebel, Director of Reading Services of the CPL introduced us to this award-winning writer of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essays and interviews. The Library is celebrating the 30th year of this outstanding program, and as Author in Residence for the last three months, Bruce has been offering public programs and readings. He also mentors aspiring writers, providing advice and feedback on their manuscripts. Our community has benefitted greatly: Bruce Hunter is renowned in Canada for his support of emerging and established authors.

Especially for those who were not with us – and even for those who were — please click here for an interview which highlights his strength of character.

Interview with Bruce Hunter

There is nothing like seeing Bruce Hunter in person, to appreciate the spirit of this inspiring author.

And click below, to find out what Bruce shared on November 21st – at least as captured by hand-written notes.

Bruce Hunter Presentation Summary

 

Memorial Park Library

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With a photo of the front entrance and the bold headline “A National Treasure” on the front page of its January 19, 2018 edition, the Calgary Herald announced that Memorial Park Library has been designated a national historic site.

Although the article on page A2 doesn’t mention the Calgary Women’s Literary Club by name, it does explain that the library “was built thanks to the efforts of a group of local women, including one of Calgary’s cultural pioneers, Annie Davidson.” Memorial Park Library served as the city’s main library from 1912, when it opened, until 1963.

Although it may not be published, I did write the following e-mail to the newspaper:

Continue reading →

Our Club founders are noted in Swerve Magazine’s Dec 1, 2017 issue

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Open old book, studio shot (with permission from Getty Images)

The Calgary Herald’s Swerve Magazine has once again given our Club a lovely tribute, this time to our founders who championed bringing the first library to Calgary. The article ends by reminding us that our Club has been using the Memorial Park premises for 103 years!

You can read the entire article here:

New Central Library, East Village

Click below for more about:

Our History

And while you are at it, Sue recently gave us a presentation:

CWLC Archives at the Glenbow

 

CPL Windows of Opportunity

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At last week’s meeting, Margaret Sparkes mentioned the Calgary Public Library Foundation’s Windows of Opportunity initiative. She will discuss this further during the next few meetings, to confirm if we wish to support this initiative as a group.

Rendering of the facade of the Calgary Public Library to open in 2018

Rendering of the new Calgary Public Library opening in 2018 From mylibrarywindow.ca

The new Central Library is considered “the greatest civic project since the 1988 Olympics”.  Calgary’s world-class library’s design will have a spectacular glass-paneled façade. If our Club wishes to participate in the Windows of Opportunity campaign:

  • $100 would give us recognition on a window, alongside other donors, for ten years
  • $2018 would give us one side of our own “CWLC” window, also for ten years

If you can’t get to the next two or three meetings, please go to:

CPL’s Windows of Opportunity

 

What Sue Carscallen unearthed at the Glenbow Archives

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Archives photo by Samuel Zeller (CC0 1.0, Unsplash)

Archives photo by Samuel Zeller (CC0 1.0, Unsplash)

Sue gave a marvelous presentation on our Club’s interesting past, gleaned from its archives. (What other book club do you know submits its Minutes to Provincial archives and has done so for over 100 years?).

The photographs she took of discoveries in the archives, shared in her PowerPoint presentation, are treasures themselves!

Sue’s no stranger to exhaustive research, having edited and published her Great Aunt’s journals, originally written in Russian and French. Check out Sue’s website: A Countess in Limbo

To learn more:  CWLC Archives at the Glenbow

Historic Calgary Week

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From Margaret Sparkes:

More free publicity for the Calgary Women’s Literary Club! The Calgary Herald of Tuesday, July 26, contained an article titled “First city library revealed” as part of a series of articles on Historic Calgary Week, which runs from July 22 to August 1.

 

In a brief overview of events taking place on July 26, they included the following.

 

“Catch the Cowtown Opera perform the story of how Annie Davidson and the Calgary Women’s Literary Club fought to start the city’s library system at the First Baptist Church on 4 Street S.W. from 2 p.m. to 2:45.

 

“Then, take a tour of Calgary’s first library – funded by Andrew Carnegie – at 3:30, starting at Central Memorial Park’s Boxwood Café.”

 

I might add that the tour was being guided by our old friend Marj Wing, who was the library’s representative responsible for Memorial Park Library until her recent retirement.