Life at the Library
The extended Library family - staff and volunteer, is over 2300 strong. Drawn from all parts of the world, they bring an amazing diversity of experiences, interests and perspectives to their Library careers and roles. This richness enhances the Library experience for customers and colleagues alike, and that's why we celebrate it here.
Chapters In A Life
Janice Parker is a witty yet down-to-earth woman whose energy, enthusiasm and sense of fun are contagious. Also, if you want to know about bears, she’s your woman. The very first of the more than 25 children’s educational books she has written was about grizzly bears and it’s still her favourite. Like most writers, and the Library currently employs close to a dozen published authors, she says “I’m not enamoured with the writing process, but I love doing the research – it gives you an excuse to find out about something that interests you.” That’s something she appreciates about her job as a part-time reference assistant with the Central Library’s 3rd Floor Enhanced Information Service - tracking down all kinds of interesting information is what takes up most of her day. “Every day is something different and you’re constantly learning. It runs the gamut from helping people start their own small business to tracking down obscure recipes.”
In the 21 years that she’s worked at CPL, working part-time has allowed Janice to explore changing interests. In addition to writing, and she wrote all those books while she was working at the Library, she’s also a mother of 3 – “Working part-time made child-care a lot easier and everyone’s always very accommodating about scheduling” – and has found time, now that the kids are older, to start work on her M.A. from Athabasca University.
A LIfe In Balance
Once a week, Candace Weir enters the inferno. Out of a furnace running at 2100 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 1,150 Celsius – as if it matters at that temperature!) she grabs a long metal pipe with a glowing glass blob on the end of it. Then she creates something beautiful.
Candace has worked at the Library for 27 years. During that time she has created art glass that has made it into major national juried art glass shows, an Edinburgh Fringe Festival poster, and jewelry that’s sold throughout Calgary. You can find one of her large glass pieces in the entranceway to the Forest Lawn Library.
Candace is one of many visual artists employed by CPL. For her, working at the Library creates a balance in her life – “Production of art is a private thing. If I concentrated on art alone, I would be a hermit. Working at the library gives me contact with lots of people and different perspectives. Constantly meeting people stretches your mind and your understanding.”
Not only does it provide her with the people contact that she needs, working at the Library is important to her in another way. Something she calls ‘right livelihood’. “It’s important to me to work someplace that is of service to all. And it’s important to me that it’s multicultural - both the customers and the staff.”
Maureen Proctor - 2008 John Dutton Volunteer of the Year
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Since the year 2002, Maureen has made an outstanding contribution to the Calgary Public Library. Volunteering in the Read With Me program, Maureen supports young children helping them to discover the joy of reading. Through this program, Maureen has touched many young lives by improving their literacy and building their self-esteem. She teaches through crafted lesson plans and creates fun literacy activities that promote lifelong learning.
Maureen’s passion to promote literacy continued when she helped the Library with Calgary Celebrates Reading, a special event that rewarded Calgarians that were caught reading during the month of February 2008. Maureen’s contribution to the Calgary Public Library is unconditional as she goes out of her way to help others. Congratulations Maureen on receiving the 2008 John Dutton Volunteer of the Year Award.