My friend and I had tried to get to Calgary for a day at the ‘new’ downtown public library every year since it opened. For a whole bunch of reasons, it has taken us eight years to accomplish this field trip. But we got there a few weeks ago and loved every square inch of the magnificent gathering place!
It was destined to be worth waiting for, since I was visiting with the retired library manager for all the schools in the division where I worked. She knows a thing or two about what makes this space a success, and she agreed that all the elements were there at the Calgary site. What rounded out a perfect visit was our spirited tour guide, Adrienne, who is a senior, a volunteer, and a mighty ambassador for the building she clearly loves.
Okay, so the library houses four floors of books, some rare collections, a vast children’s section that couples imaginative play stations with quiet reading areas. There are more than 450,000 books in their collection, available through a free Calgary Public Library card. I remember years ago, when I stood happily behind my daughter as she obtained her very first library card as a pre-schooler. The librarian handed her the card and a pencil, asking her to write her name on the signature line. It was a bit of a scribble, printed with great pride and a sense of autonomy that was new to her. Oh, the world of libraries, books, reading and knowledge that was opening to her that moment!
The Calgary library is a unique celebration of stories in all its forms. From art displays with accompanying narrative to an Indigenous Languages Resource Centre, an idea lab, services for newcomers, a teen centre, and both an Artist in Residence and a Historian in Residence – you could take your full vacation at this library and spend time at a new, inspirational spot each day!
All libraries are gathering places, and the Calgary downtown library is a warming centre on cold days. There are benches built along the large windows inside the entrance, and tiered seating adjacent to the outside steps leading up to the main door. People from a nearby charity were pushing a cart with steaming coffee to the seated people and it was clear that the library’s theme ‘community, curiosity, collaboration’ comes to life in every nook and cranny.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, when you enter through the doors you are a library patron. Everyone who enters is equal,” Adrienne attested.
The structure itself is an engineering marvel, with a dramatic sloped walkway leading to the second floor which was built to accommodate the functioning LRT rail that passes underneath the building. Forty percent of the outside facing wall is windows, created for different purposes. The fritted glass provides temperature control and discourages birds from flying into the windows. This element earned the building LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – the world’s most widely-used green building rating system). But the additional flourishes are astonishing – 71 km of winter hemlock and white oak in the atrium and galleries, public art throughout, live music in the outdoor amphitheatre, audio and video recording studios, a vintage media lab, digital storytelling kiosk, and the best views of the downtown cityscape!
Oh, and while you’re there you can still sign out that book you’ve been waiting to read. Libraries are celebrating the written word and so very much more. I’m proud to live in a province and a country that values the unparalleled and simple universe that unfolds inside a library.