Calgary Public Library steps up to help new Canadians
The Calgary Public Library is boosting its services for newcomers to Calgary and Canada, thanks to a donation from the Royal Bank of Canada.
RBC has donated $550,000 toward the "Welcome to the Library" initiative.
Library CEO Bill Ptacek says it's important to help people new to Calgary to get established.
"Those folks who are coming to the library now ... are going to be leaders in this community," Ptacek told CBC News. "
"They're people that drive the economy and they will remember their first point of contact with the country was the public library."
The library serves more than a million people, Ptacek said, "so this gift from the RBC Foundation will allow the library to focus on helping newcomers with the skills, information and contacts that they need to navigate their new home."
Mike Maloney, regional operating officer for RBC, said in a news release the bank is " thrilled to support the library and play a part in launching an incredible program that will have a positive impact on the lives of newcomers to Canada settling in our community."
The money will be used to bolster existing language programs in public libraries, including tours and videos in different languages as well as English-speaking practice groups.
