The Calgary Public Library Foundation Custom Collaboration
Collaborations are at the heart of everything we do. Right from the very get-go, we’ve been working with different organizations, athletes, artists, non-profits organizations and many others that share the same values as us so we could all grow together.
Over the last few years, we’ve been expanding our collaborations to include custom Canadian-made garments to share stories rather than just printing logos on t-shirts. Today, we wanted to highlight one of our favourite custom Canadian-made garment collaborations, the Calgary Public Library Foundation.
We’ve been big fans of the Calgary Public Library for a long time now. As a small business or entrepreneur just starting, it has a TONNE of exceptional programs and perks to take advantage of to help grow your business from free courses on business, investing and education and career planning tools. You don’t even need to pay for a library card!
*Photos taken pre-pandemic*
Here were some of the perks of the library I took advantage of while building Local Laundry:
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Free space to work from with free WIFI - Working from coffee shops is cool and all, but sometimes when I need to get out of my house and want to do an all-day work session, the cost of coffees all day at a local coffee shop can add up. So I just find the nearest library and plunk myself down for the day. It doesn’t cost a thing!
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Free Printing - I don’t own a printer. Most things you can do virtually or online these days, BUTTT what about the odd time you have to print off a return label or some essential doc that requires a physical signature? The Calgary Public Library has got you covered. With your library card, you have a monthly print credit of $5, which allows you to print up to 50 black and white pages free of charge. You can print from a USB or wirelessly. They even offer curbside pickup since the pandemic started.
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Free Meeting Rooms - before the pandemic started, we would book one at the central library through their website whenever we need to have a meeting space for either a podcast recording or an important meeting. They had rooms of all shapes and sizes, even with visual aids like TVs, displays etc. Great for an all-day strategy session with the team.
- Free Audiobooks - We all want to read more and learn more, but where to find the time? For me, audiobooks have been a great way to digest information while I’m accomplishing something else like driving, exercising, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn etc. Libby is a FREE audiobook service where you can reserve audiobooks through the library and listen whenever you have spare time. It’s been a great way to make time to “read” all the books I’ve had on my list for years now.
Right before the Central Calgary Public Library was about to open, we knew we had to help share their story since they have helped us on our journey so much. So we got connected with The Calgary Public Library Foundation. The CPLF empowers people to make a difference in their community. Through raising funds to help support many of the Calgary Public Library facilities and programs, most of which are available to the public for free! All donations cultivate innovation and bring the Library to those who need it most. Since 2011, they have raised more than $60 million in support of the Calgary Public Library.
They came to us wanting to create a garment that represented their values and that they could use to raise funds for the foundation. We wanted to showcase how the new Central Library was the “heart” of the city in a way that was easily recognizable as the library.
We tasked our senior designer, Erin Lawrence, to find the perfect marriage of our two brands. Inspired by the iconic Calgary Public Library logo, she took inspiration from the designs and placed them into a heart on a crewneck sweater’s left crest and the front and centre of a snapback hat. They are now on sale at the Library Foundation store - https://libraryfoundation.ca/ - with 100% off all proceeds going right back to the foundation.
To celebrate the launch of the garments and the new library’s opening, we celebrated with a photoshoot of the garments on some of the Canadian Women’s National Bobsleigh team members. Since the launch, the garments have been a bit hit and have gone through several production runs and multiple colours. They also have many other local makers on their store featuring cute, library and book-themed products. Check them out!
Let us know what you think of this custom collaboration and who you’d like to see us collaborate with next!
