“Take a book, leave a book” at your Local Little Free Library

If you’ve ever been out on a stroll through your neighborhood or walked through a Calgary residential area on your way to work or school, you may have noticed some unique treasure chests hidden among the houses. These little birdhouses or glass-door cabinets perched on fences and secured to trees in the neighborhood open to reveal an ever-changing selection of second-hand books.

From an outside perspective, these outdoor libraries may appear as a lovely, local community project. However, the Little Free Library program goes far beyond the simple sharing of favorite books among neighbors.

Established in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin, Little Free Library has expanded into a global nonprofit network with more than 100,000 registered book-sharing boxes in 108 countries around the world. Using a “take a book, leave a book” system to facilitate the free exchange of millions of books every year, Little Free Library aims to foster the positive social and academic impacts of reading by increasing public access to books.

“The Little Free Library nonprofit organization expands book access for readers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds,” says Margaret Aldrich, Director of Communications for Little Free Library, “for more than 10 years Little Free Libraries have been catalysts for bringing people together and getting books into readers hands.”
Featuring everything from repurposed filing cabinets and stoves to handcrafted wooden birdhouses and barrels, there are more than 300 Little Free Libraries located across Calgary. Every year, thousands of books change hands throughout the city, using these tiny remote shelves to reach new readers every single day.

Karen Begg is a resident of southeast Calgary who has owned and maintained a Little Free Library in West Dover since 2013. Since unveiling the library, Begg has been continually encouraged by the engagement and support of the community, as well as the opportunity the library presents for committing local acts of kindness. “It made me realize how many small, community acts of kindness a person can do quite simply,” she says. In addition to offering books, she has used the library to donate shelf-stable foods, socks and gloves during the cold months.
“For people who need a little extra support, the library is a great place,” she continues, “people of all ages and all walks of life both contribute and benefit.” After 7 years of operation in the community, Begg’s library is now self-sufficient and moves up to 60 books every week.

Aislinn Cairns is a south Calgary resident who converted an old Calgary Sun newspaper box into a Little Free Library in the summer of 2019. Living close to an elementary school and with kids of her own, Cairns chose to tailor her Little Library specifically towards children.
“It really gets kids excited about reading,” she says, “I get knocks on my door asking when there will be new books.”

The Little Free Library organization allows people from all walks of life, children and adults alike, to expand their horizons and discover something new, all while giving old books a new lease on life. In doing so, Little Free Library contributes greatly to literacy, connectivity and positivity in communities around the world every day.

To find a Little Free Library near you or learn more about how to get involved, visit https://littlefreelibrary.org.

For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.

Related Topics:LFL Little Free Library Local

Up Next

Construction of Cancer Centre in Calgary on budget and on time

Don't Miss

Forget the Horizon, Downtown Calgary is in Big Trouble Right Now

Meghanne Uptigrove

Follow Author

Volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area

Alberta / 3 years ago

Raising the Bar and Drawing the Line – Men for the Eradication of Violence Against Women

Alberta / 3 years ago

Violence Against Women is a Crisis in Every Single City

Alberta

Former senior financial advisor charged with embezzling millions from Red Deer area residents

Published on April 26, 2024

Todayville

News release from Alberta RCMP

Former senior financial advisor charged for misappropriating nearly $5 million from clients

On April 4, 2024, the RCMP’s Provincial Financial Crime Team charged a Calgary resident for fraud-related offences after embezzling millions of dollars from his clients while serving as a senior financial advisor.

Following a thorough investigation, the accused is alleged to have fraudulently withdrawn funds from client accounts and deposited them into bank accounts he personally controlled. A total of sixteen victims were identified in the Red Deer area and suffered a combined loss of nearly $5 million.

Marc St. Pierre, 52, a resident of Calgary, was arrested and charged with:

Fraud over $5,000 contrary to section 380(1)(a) of the Criminal Code; and,
Theft over $5,000 contrary to section 344(a) of the Criminal Code.

St. Pierre is scheduled to appear in Red Deer Provincial Court on May 14, 2024.

“The ability for financial advisors to leverage their position to conduct frauds and investment scams represents a significant risk to the integrity of Alberta’s financial institutions. The investigation serves as an important reminder for all banking clients to regularly check their accounts for any suspicious activity and to report it to their bank’s fraud prevention team.”

Sgt. John Lamming, Provincial Financial Crime Team

The Provincial Financial Crime Team is a specialized unit that conducts investigations relating to multi-jurisdictional serious fraud, investments scams and corruption.

Alberta

Political parties will be part of municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary pilot projects

Published on April 25, 2024

Government of Alberta

Strengthening Alberta’s local elections

Alberta’s government is introducing legislation to ensure Albertans can rely on transparent, free and fair elections, and municipally-elected officials have clearer accountability measures.

In a democratic society, Albertans expect their local elections to be free and fair, and their elected officials to be held to account by clear rules that govern their local councils. The Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act proposes amendments to the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) and the Municipal Government Act (MGA) to add greater transparency to local election processes and ensure local councils and elected officials continue to remain accountable to the citizens who elected them.

“Our government is committed to strengthening Albertans’ trust in their local governments and the democratic process that elects local leaders. The changes we are making increase transparency for Alberta voters and provide surety their votes will be counted accurately. We know how important local democracy is to Albertans, and we will work with local authorities to protect and enhance the integrity of local elections.”

Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs

Local Authorities Election Act

Albertans expect free and fair elections and that’s why it’s important we strengthen the rules that govern local elections. To strengthen public trust in local elections, Alberta’s government will eliminate the use of electronic tabulators and other automated voting machines. All Albertans should be able to trust the methods and results of local elections; requiring all ballots to be counted by hand, clarifying rules and streamlining processes for scrutineers will provide voters greater assurance in the integrity of the results.

All eligible Albertans should be able to vote in local elections without impediment. Alberta’s government will limit the barriers for eligible voters to cast a ballot by expanding the use of special ballots. Currently, special ballots can only be requested for very specific reasons, including physical disability, absence from the municipality, or for municipal election workers. By expanding the use of special ballots, the government is encouraging more voter participation.

Amendments in the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act would increase transparency in local elections by enabling political parties at the local level. Political parties would be enabled in a pilot project for Edmonton and Calgary. The act will not require candidates to join a political party in order to run for a local or municipal office, but will create the opportunity to do so.

In addition, proposed changes to the Local Authorities Election Act would allow municipalities the option to require criminal record checks for local candidates, thus increasing transparency and trust in candidates who may go on to become elected officials.

Municipal Government Act

The role of an elected official is one with tremendous responsibility and expectations. Changes proposed to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) will strengthen the accountability of locally elected officials and councils. These include requiring mandatory orientation training for councillors, allowing elected officials to recuse themselves for real or perceived conflicts of interest without third-party review and requiring a councillor’s seat to become vacant upon disqualification.

If passed, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act will also unlock new tools to build affordable and attainable housing across Alberta. Proposed amendments under the MGA would also create more options for municipalities to accelerate housing developments in their communities. Options include:

Exempting non-profit, subsidized affordable housing from both municipal and education property taxes;
Requiring municipalities to offer digital participation for public hearings about planning and development, and restricting municipalities from holding extra public hearings that are not already required by legislation; and
Enabling municipalities to offer multi-year residential property tax exemptions.

Municipal Affairs will engage municipalities and other partners over the coming months to hear perspectives and gather feedback to help develop regulations.

Quick facts

The LAEA establishes the framework for the conduct of elections in Alberta municipalities, school divisions, irrigation districts and Metis Settlements.
The MGA establishes the rules governing the conduct of local elected officials once on council, as well as the overall administration and operation of municipal authorities in Alberta, including any policy those authorities may wish to implement.