BELONGS AT THE LIBRARY - 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan

EVERYONE

BELONGS AT THE LIBRARY

2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan

contents

Message from the CEO

Vision and Mission

Values

Priorities

Message from the Calgary Public Library Foundation

Building an Innovation Engine

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our Responsibility to Truth and Reconciliation

The Role of the Library

The Library in Numbers

With gratitude, mutual respect, and reciprocity, we acknowledge the ancestral home, culture,

and oral teachings of the Treaty 7 signatories which includes the Siksika Nation, Piikani Nation,

Kainai Nation, the Îethka Stoney Nakoda Nation, consisting of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Good

Stoney Bands, and the people of the Tsuut’ina Nation. We also recognize the Métis people of

Alberta Region 3 who call Treaty 7 their home.

At Calgary Public Library we celebrate stories: the stories of the community and the land that

we live on. We serve the community on Wîcîspa, Guts’ists’i, and Moh’kinstsis, which describes

the gathering place where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. We respect all people who share,

celebrate, and care for the Treaty 7 territory of southern Alberta and we honour the original

caretakers of the land who remind us of the ongoing histories that precede us. We recognize

our shared responsibilities going forward to help bring everyone together on this journey of

Truth and Reconciliation.

Treaty 7 Land

THE LIBRARY IN OUR COMMUNITY

FALCONBRIDGE

BLVD

Giuﬀre Family Library

Rocky Ridge Library

at Shane Homes YMCA

Seton Library at Brookﬁeld

Residential YMCA

Symons Valley Library

Walden LibraryBelmont Library

Skyview Ranch Library

LEGEND

Libraries

Libraries in Development

Roads

2023 – 2026 STRATEGIC PLAN

CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Empowering community by connecting

you to ideas and experiences, inspiration

and insight.

POTENTIALS REALIZED

MISSION

VISION

A MESSAGE FROM CEO SARAH MEILLEUR

As we launch our new 2023 – 2026 Strategic

Plan, it provides an opportunity to reect on our

achievements, lessons, and growth over 110 years of

service. Today, Calgary Public Library is proud to be

an internationally respected leader in library service

and innovation, and we are just getting started.

We emerge from years of disruption and transition

and see a community that needs us more than ever.

We are a city facing urgent issues that require many

voices around the table. That table where everyone

is welcome is your public library.

We see this strategic plan as a powerful roadmap to

create space to drive action and ensure equitable

outcomes.

We provide the space for people to access new

ideas and inspiration, nd valuable community

connections and supports, and work together to

create a strong future where everyone can nd

success and belonging.

We are where literacy and learning live. We create

places for people to become neighbours, and we

work every day to address barriers so everyone can

realize their potential.

The future we envision is bold and optimistic because

we know what our community can accomplish

when we work together. As our city grows, we will

always be there to help you fall in love with reading,

start a business, navigate a new country, learn a new

skill, or have a conversation with someone new.

Our promise is that everyone belongs at the Library

because the Library belongs to you.

Sarah Meilleur

CEO

Everyone

belongs at the

Library because

the Library

belongs to you.

2023 – 2026 STRATEGIC PLAN

PRIORITIES

Create Purpose Together

The Library provides tools and spaces for those engaged with

intellectual freedom and the exchange of ideas to receive insight

and create connections to move forward.

The Library must be a convener and facilitator of conversations and

partnerships around the issues important to building a better future for

Calgary. We help our community heal and grow stronger by providing

opportunities for meaningful dialogue, shared understanding, and

respectful collaboration.

Champion a Sense of Belonging

The Library is committed to listening to, learning from, and building

relationships with local Indigenous communities in the spirit of Truth

and Reconciliation. Together, we will continue to work to increase

community awareness and understanding of Indigenous ways of

being, knowing, and doing, as well as the impacts of colonization.

The Library is committed to building empathy, dignity, and

understanding for all community members as we respect and

celebrate the diversity of lived experiences and support everyone’s

ability to participate and contribute to society. Everyone belongs at

the Library.

Energize Lifelong Learning

The Library believes in the power of literacy and lifelong learning to

help shape meaningful lives through personal agency and resiliency.

The equitable development of foundational learning and life skills

requires a needs-driven perspective to ensure everyone can realize

their potential.

We support personal growth and adaptation and motivate our

community to take a journey of discovery and embrace the

possibilities of change. Whether leading or supporting the work of

others, we aim to bring delight, wonder, inspiration, and laughter to

learning.

VALUES

equity

Equity is a necessary condition for all members

of our community to reach their full potential.

Equity in opportunities, resources, and treatment

will lead to dignity and belonging for all.

The Library has an important role in reducing

barriers and creating equitable access to

learning and enrichment. To create meaningful

engagement, we must recognize and honour

our dierences and challenge ourselves to act

with integrity.

curiosity

A commitment to learning is rooted in curiosity.

We seek to learn and understand, to challenge

assumptions, and hear new voices to propel

creativity and innovation so that we can better

serve our community.

The Library will seek out fresh perspectives and

explore new ideas to ensure that our aspirations

are bold enough to create positive change.

collaboration

Change and innovation at the Library is driven

by collaboration. Meaningful engagement with

our members, partners, and peers drives our

decision making and ability to deliver impactful

service.

The Library works smarter and creates greater

impact when it leverages its strengths and

resources in respectful relationships with

others.

INNOVATION

STARTS

HERE!

LibraryFoundation.ca

Our role is simple but the outcome is transformative; with the

philanthropic support of our donors, we enable. Together, we

enable Calgary Public Library and all of its members to dream,

to transform, and to lead in access, connection, and literacy.

Since 2012, we have been on a journey to create the best

public library in the world. To us, this means being the Library

that our community deserves. We are creating one of the

most literate cities in the world, where everyone has access

to life-changing resources that allow them to write their own

futures and reach their full potential.

Creating a world-class library is a huge step towards building a

world-class city, one in which citizens are connected to each

other, to information, and to the international community. At

the Library Foundation, we believe fundamentally in the value

that comes from investing in innovation, and empowerment.

Through the support of our donors, we are inventing the

future of libraries.

Our Library is a leader. Library systems across the world are

learning from us; nding inspiration in our Early Learning

Centres, creating space to share and celebrate Indigenous

cultures, and developing new programs for today and

tomorrow.

Philanthropy ensures that innovation doesn’t just happen at the

Library, but instead, begins here. Our Library is accessible to

all, which means that innovation is accessible to everyone. No

other institution can enable people to reach their full potential

the way that our Library can.

Donor support of Calgary Public Library has the power to

transform lives — here in Calgary and beyond. The world is

watching. Learn more and join us in this transformation as we

invent the future of libraries, together.

LET US

INTRODUCE

OURSELVES:

WE ARE THE

CALGARY

PUBLIC

LIBRARY

FOUNDATION.

2023 – 2026 STRATEGIC PLAN

CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION BUILDING AN INNOVATION ENGINE

Calgary Public Library is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Everyone should be able to realize their potential at Calgary Public Library. Everyone has a right to

feel respected, safe, and included within the Library and community. To ensure that, we must work to

eliminate societal barriers to full inclusion in our programs, services, internal operations, and institutional

culture. We have a responsibility to create and maintain an environment of equity, diversity, inclusion,

and dignity in all spaces we occupy and in all aspects of our community role. We continue to listen,

learn, and act in collaboration with The City of Calgary and community partners.

The future of Calgary Public Library is driven by an Innovation Engine. A process rooted in the principles

of design thinking, we seek to understand and address community issues through a human-centred

approach to creative problem solving.

We bring together people from all areas of the Library to share their knowledge, creativity, and experience,

and we seek inspiration from other industries, our partners, and our patrons.

Ideas are validated through research and data to ensure we are creating programs and services that

consider those who need us most, provide new solutions to community issues, and create fantastic

visitor experiences for everyone who connects with the Library.

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that puts people rst. Through observation and asking

questions, we can better design programs and services that directly address community needs and push

the boundaries of what we know, digging deeper to dream bigger.

Read inGenius: A Crash Course On Creativity by Dr. Tina Seelig to learn more about the power of creativity and the innovation engine model.

credit - Elyse Bouvier

2023 – 2026 STRATEGIC PLAN

CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

Calgary Public Library commits to listening to, learning from, and building relationships with local

Indigenous communities. Through increased intercultural awareness and empathy, we seek to be a

successful collaborator, developer, and supporter of programs, collections, and spaces in the spirit of

Reconciliation.

Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future

The Library has a responsibility to share the true history of what happened at Indian residential schools

and the ongoing, intergenerational trauma they caused. Learning the truth is an important rst step for

all Canadians toward healing our community.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Final Report includes the history and legacy of

residential schools as well as 94 Calls to Action.

Call to Action 69 specically asks libraries, museums, and archives to reexamine their commitment to

Truth and Reconciliation and commit more resources to sharing the true history of Indigenous peoples

with our communities.

The Calgary Aboriginal Urban Aairs Committee reviewed the Calls to Action to determine which are

actionable by Calgary’s municipal government. The results are identied in White Goose Flying: A Report

to Calgary City Council on the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation. The report asks the

Library to inspire stories, and work with community partners to coordinate and collaborate on exhibits

and programming about the true history and legacy of Indian residential schools in and around Calgary.

We hope to honour all those who attended residential schools and their families through this work.

Calgary Public Library is committed to the principles

of intellectual freedom and to ensuring that we

provide access to information and resources, and

encourage informed discussions, diverse opinions,

and learning in our communities.

Intellectual freedom is embedded in all our work,

including the delivery of programs, the use of

public library space, and our collections policy.

Libraries across North America continue to be

confronted and challenged on the information

they provide. Our collection contains materials that

some may nd challenging, disturbing, or hurtful.

The availability of these items may seem contrary

to our mission and vision, but their presence

reects our commitment to intellectual freedom

and democratic duty to provide equitable access

to information and platforms for the exploration of

ideas.

The Role of the Library is to connect you with ideas,

information, and opportunities — without limits or

judgment.

THE ROLE OF THE LIBRARY

“Libraries have a core responsibility to safeguard and facilitate access to constitutionally

protected expressions of knowledge, imagination, ideas, and opinion, including those which

some individuals and groups consider unconventional, unpopular, or unacceptable.”

Canadian Federation of Library Associations

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 19:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to

hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas

through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Provision 2.

Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and

other media of communication.

ii.

iii.

69. We call upon Library and Archives Canada to:

Fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Joinet-Orentlicher

Principles, as related to Aboriginal peoples’ inalienable right to know the truth about what happened and why, with regard to human rights

violations committed against them in the residential schools.

Ensure that its record holdings related to residential schools are accessible to the public.

Commit more resources to its public education materials and programming on residential schools.

CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY

56%

of Calgarians are active Library Members

million+

Active Members

745,000

Library cardholders

are under the age of 18

150,500

19,000

programs delivered

in an average year

square feet of

community library

space provided

as of 2022

334,500

THE LIBRARY IN NUMBERS

10.6 million calgarylibrary.ca visits

in an average year

7 million visits

COUNTRY HILLS LIBRARY

LOUISE RILEY LIBRARY

FISH CREEK LIBRARY

SETON LIBRARY

GIUFFRE FAMILY LIBRARY

JUDITH UMBACH LIBRARY

SOUTHWOOD LIBRARY

NICHOLLS FAMILY LIBRARY

SHAWNESSY LIBRARY

VILLAGE SQUARE LIBRARY

BOWNESS LIBRARY

FOREST LAWN LIBRARY

MEMORIAL PARK LIBRARY

CROWFOOT LIBRARY

QUARRY PARK LIBRARY

SIGNAL HILL LIBRARY

SAGE HILL LIBRARY

SADDLETOWNE LIBRARY

ROCKY RIDGE LIBRARY

NOSE HILL LIBRARY

CENTRAL LIBRARY

THANK YOU

to the Library staﬀ, partners, volunteers,

and supporters that enable us to serve our

community.