Navjot Virk exudes warmth, friendliness and intelligence. She and Piyush have been reading partners in the TD Read With Me program for the past two and a half years. They’ve met once a week for an hour over that period at a Calgary Public Library branch to read and enjoy literacy together. Piyush graduated from the program in June 2012, following the completion of his Gr. 6 school year.

According to Shalini, Piyush’s mom, his graduation comes a few years too soon. ‘I would have liked it if he could have stayed in the program through his junior high years. Navjot has really helped him, not only with his reading, but also with personal growth. He sees her as a role model and a ‘big sister’. Their personalities matched very well. You can’t just give him a book and sit and read straight for an hour. Navjot recognized that and made program sessions interactive for him, playing board games and doing different activities with him, and kept him engaged.’

Piyush agrees, stating that working with Navjot over the years has been ‘really good.’ He has improved his reading skills a lot. He elaborates that Navjot ‘helps you with your homework, if you have some. [Our program sessions] were interesting. It was never the same thing…[the activities were] always mixed-up…so it wasn’t just reading all the time but we played games together too. It was fun.’

Navjot concurs. ‘Piyush is awesome and I think I learn more from him than he does from me. The coolest thing has been seeing his self-confidence increase. We’ve been paired together for so long that we’ve really developed a relationship and it’s been neat to see him make progress through the years’.

Shalini has no doubt that the next child paired with Navjot in the program will see similar benefits from her support. The staff at Calgary Public Library could not agree more.

Thank you, Navjot! And best of luck in Junior High in the fall, Piyush!

If you want to learn more about the TD Read With Me program, click here.

Sure, I’d taken out books on CD before. But, I’d never downloaded one from Overdrive, our provider of free e-books and audiobooks.

Now that I’m finally(!) an iphone user, I’m anxious to download as much free content as I can – everything from university courses to music, movies and books.

The first title that I downloaded was The China Study, and I listened to it over the course of a few evenings, as I walked around my community. Next, I might check out fiction, or perhaps some cookbooks. Downloading these items was so easy! You really do not need to be tech savvy to click or tap your way to hundreds of new titles. Just download the free Overdrive app, and you’re off to the races.

If you need any assistance, just give us a call (403-260-2600) or strike up a chat with us, from our homepage.

And if you haven’t yet heard of The China Study, then may I suggest you make it your first download? Chock full of staggering epidemiological research into the effect of dietary protein on rates of disease in North America and China! I especially recommend it to those for whom a family history of cancer is a concern, and those who may be evaluating or re-evaluating their intake of meat.

Wow – is it nearly July already?! Happy Canada Day, to one and all!

Have you ever taken the time to browse through the Canadian section of our e-library? Check it out and get access to an encyclopedia about Canadian history, a news archive containing decades’ worth of articles from hundreds of Canadian publications, historical news from the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star, listings of associations and governmental offices, and much more.

Did you know that the Calgary Public Library offers programs (and online resources!) for newcomers and those preparing to write Canadian citizenship exams? We also maintain reference collections of Canadian laws and government documents.

Find out more about your great nation by visiting your local library branch. But not on July 1^st or 2^nd, when all branches will be closed. See you on July 3^rd!

Social media is still in its infancy and already we’re sharing pictures, videos, links, music and more - with just a few clicks. Increasingly, the ability to use these tools and platforms will be regarded as a type of literacy - not unlike the ability to read, write and perform numerical calculations.

If you haven’t yet delved into the world of social media, drop into your local library and check out books about smartphones and tablets, blogging, podcasting, and lots more. If you’re downtown, stop by Central Library’s 3^rd floor Learning Lab and learn about LinkedIn, twitter, facebook, Google Reader and other such sites. We’ll even spend time with you one-on-one, to make sure that you’re up and running.

For more information about library resources and programs, please call (403) 260-2782.

Check out this link for more information about Social Media Day.  And while you're at it, check us out (and follow us!) on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

During the last few months, four(!) of my friends have lost beloved pets. Which really means, of course, that they have lost members of their family. Pets give us unconditional love, and maybe even more importantly, they allow us to love them unconditionally – and it feels so good! Pets are witnesses to our lives; they give us free therapy and countless hours of entertainment. When I recently adopted a cat, my aunt told me to pay attention to how many times I would smile over the next few weeks, and it’s incredible. I am a much happier person with my sweet girl than I was without her.

If you’re grieving the loss of a pet, pop into your local library and check out some of our collections. This title (just one of many!) is suggested in memory of a very special rabbit named Marty. Available in paper and e-book format.

Going Home: Finding Peace when Pets Die, by Jon Katz

I’ve had a crush on author Alain de Botton for a while, now. It started when I read his Essays in Love and found myself wishing that I was the woman he had met and quickly began rhapsodizing about. When I read A Week at the Airport, I day dreamed that he and I met on a flight to wherever, and we struck up a conversation when he noticed me reading his book...

But it’s time for old Alain to move over and make room for my newest crush: Mark Haddon.

I’d picked up Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time some time ago, and then abandoned it after about 30 pages. But, I picked up A Spot of Bother recently, and couldn’t put it down! Haddon paints such a realistic portrait of the Hall family – you’d swear that you were a fly on the wall, watching as their pre-wedding drama plays out.

Now I’m fantasizing that I take a trip to the UK and stop in at a little pub where I meet a man who asks for my phone number. I have nothing to write it down on, and so I end up writing it on a page that I tear out of – you guessed it – Mark Haddon’s book. The man asks me if I like the book, and I start to gush about it:

“…such a realistic portrait of the Hall family – you’d swear that you were a fly on the wall…”

I realize that he’s smiling. I flip to the back of the book and check out the picture – it’s him! It’s actually Mark Haddon!!!

Now there’s a story! A story so romantic, in fact, that Mark (we’re on a first name basis, now) writes his next book about just such a chance encounter. And dedicates it to me.

Unleash your inner geek and get your author crush(es) on, at the Calgary Public Library!