As part of Calgary Public Library’s 2012 celebrations of our 100 years of service to Calgarians, we are thrilled to announce the launch of Calgary Public Library Archives: Our Story in Pictures. With a generous grant from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, a collection of over 3,000 photographs from Calgary Public Library’s Archives have been digitized and are now accessible to all Calgarians.

This legacy will find a permanent home in the Community Heritage and Family History Digital Library as our newest collection. The Library has been an integral part of the historical fabric of Calgary because of the remarkable efforts of individuals such as first chief librarian Alexander Calhoun, authors and librarians Louise Riley and Georgina Thomson, photographer and librarian Alison Jackson as well as members of city council, such as R.B. Bennett, who have served over the years on the Calgary Public Library Board. This centennial legacy allows Calgarians to explore another aspect of our rich history and evoke memories and stories of the past of our communities and branches.

Another exciting aspect of this collection is that many of the photos you will see are included in another legacy. Local author Brian Brennan has used his exceptional storytelling skills and research into the Library’s archives to tell Calgary Public Library’s story in our centennial book, published in the spring of 2012.

We welcome you to join us in exploring Our Story in Pictures below. We have put together some suggested searches you can use to see different aspects of the library and its people over the years or feel free to enter any terms you wish to search. Help is provided through the link in the upper left corner of the screen.

Join us in exploring our past as we look forward to another century of service.

Search for...

Construction

See your library branch as you’ve perhaps never seen it before through documentation of the construction process and photos of opening and reopening celebrations across the system.  Also try searching with the terms Opening, Reopening

Interior

What does a library look like? Do you picture mid-century modern furniture, construction paper posters, or wood paneled walls? Check out our library style!

Equipment

See the newest, oldest, strangest, the best loved or most quickly forgotten technologies we’ve ever used.   Try these search terms too for some fun pictures:  Regiscope, microfiche, microfilm, collections, stacks, catalogue

Bookmobile

Long before the food-truck revolution, you could find the library’s Bookmobile cruising the streets and signing out books. Take a glimpse inside the now-retired fleet of Bookmobile busses.

Authors & Celebrities

A look back at some of the big-names we’ve hosted over the years. Who do you remember?  Try searching Alderman and Mayor too!

Library Style

Check out the trends and  popular clothing fashions of staff over the years!

Catalogues

What’s a library without a catalogue?

Young Readers

Since 1912, the Library has been a hit with children.