Calgary Public Library a Committed Member of imagineCALGARY Partnership

The Calgary Public Library has been a member of the imagineCALGARY Partnership since the beginning of the initiative. Nancy MacKenzie, the Library’s Customer Service Manager, recently shared her thoughts on how the Library is using the Vision of imagineCALGARY in its day-to-day operations.

Q: How long has the Calgary Public Library been involved in imagineCALGARY?

A: The Calgary Public Library has been involved with imagineCALGARY from the very beginning. In June 2006 the Library Board signed the imagineCALGARY Scroll of Partners and Friends, making a commitment to declare action on achieving the Plan’s many goals.

Q: What prompted the Library to join as a Partner?

A: The natural alignment that exists between the goals of imagineCALGARY and the goals of the Calgary Public Library make the Partnership a perfect match. While the Library’s core business of literacy and community building most obviously aligns with the social system, specifically under the Targets of lifelong learning, it is possible to make a direct connection between Library activities and almost all of imagineCALGARY’s 114 Targets. Under the economic system’s goals, for example, the Library provides direction, through its career resources, coaching and tours, for those new to Calgary and all Calgarians. By providing career support to individuals, they have an increased opportunity to contribute in a personally meaningful way to Calgary’s economic and social well being.

Q: How is the Library using imagineCALGARY?

A: The Library is actively contributing to the structure of imagineCALGARY by providing resourcing and leadership at the Collaborative Action Committee level. Working together with such a committed and capable group adds strength to the Library’s core business while accelerating the momentum toward the imagineCALGARY Targets.

Q: Does the Library have any particular plans for imagineCALGARY in the future?

A: The Library is committed to the goals and Targets of imagineCALGARY and will continue to be actively engaged in furthering the Vision. The creation and implementation of the Eco-Action Plan, consistent with the goals of the natural and built environment systems, for example, has already resulted in a reduced environmental footprint for the Library. We will continue to see results through the three-year life of the Eco-Action Plan.

Q: What benefits does imagineCALGARY offer the Calgary community?

A: There is no doubt that a collective effort directed toward a common goal can achieve noteworthy results. imagineCALGARY provides the framework to build upon the collective effort, resulting in collaborative achievements that have the potential to accelerate the rate of change required for Calgary to realize the long-term Vision. We as a collaborative force are more powerful than the sum of our individual or collective actions.