NEWSFLASH: TNG is pleased to report the successful rezoning of John Snow House!

At a public hearing on June 7, 2010, City Council unanimously supported TNG's application to have John Snow House (an historic Calgary residence) rezoned. This decision means that TNG will be able to publicly operate its Resource Centre (a combined library and archive) from the house.

As you may know, TNG has been without sufficient space to operate its Resource Centre for some years. In 2008, a generous donor offered TNG use of John Snow House, a privately owned home in Lower Mount Royal. Since then, we have been working with the City of Calgary to change the land use designation of the property. Now that the designation has changed, TNG is preparing to open the house to the public.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting us in this initiative. Many of you wrote to City Council on our behalf, and we are truly grateful for your efforts. We couldn't have done it without you.

We look forward to welcoming you to John Snow House soon. Watch this space for an official opening date.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

About the Resource Centre
Since its inception, The New Gallery has subscribed to current arts periodicals and collected catalogues through exchange programs with other artist-run centres and galleries. Our long history has allowed us to develop a unique collection of material with a focus on emerging Canadian artists and artist-run culture.

In addition to published materials, TNG keeps files on artists and groups who have shown in the gallery in the past 10 years. These files include artist statements and CVs, descriptions of exhibitions, and published reviews.

TNG's collection of publications and artist files provides the content of our Resource Centre. Although smaller than other institutional libraries, we have over 3000 books and periodicals to inspire and educate researchers, students and the general public.

We are currently working to re-open our Resource Centre (see update above). In the meantime, use our online database to learn about exhibitions TNG has held in the past and to find books, catalogues and periodicals.  Unfortunately, artist files are not available online.

How to Use the Resource Centre
The Resource Centre is free and open to everyone! It provides a quite workspace where you can learn and be inspired.  Materials must be accessed on site during our regular hours, and cannot be borrowed.

We're always adding new material to our database. If you think we might have what you're looking for, or just need some help searching, contact us at library@thenewgallery.org. We'll let you know if we have a specific item, and if not, we'll make suggestions about where you can find it.

If you're looking for inspiration for your own work, drop by and browse our selection of periodicals.  We currently subscribe to Front, Mix, Esse, Fuse and High Fructose. We also have copies of other periodicals, including Canadian Art, Border Crossings, and many more. You're welcome to browse our books and catalogues too!

Donate to the Resource Centre
Do you have a collection of published materials in need of a home? TNG collects contemporary periodicals, books and catalogues focusing on local and national artists with connections to artist-run culture. We also collect publications by and for artist-run centres. Contact us at library@thenewgallery.org to see if your collection would be a suitable fit.

Volunteer Opportunities at the Resource Centre
The Resource Centre has opportunities for volunteers to help us sort, digitize, research and catalogue material. No experience is necessary, although volunteers should have an interest in the arts, artist-run culture and information management. The Resource Centre requires volunteers to make a minimum three-month commitment to volunteering. Training is provided.

The exact work done by Resource Centre volunteers depends upon individual interests and backgrounds, but may include:

• Sorting and Cataloguing Resource Centre periodicals, catalogues and books

• Scanning slides and photographs to create digital images

• Digital image editing

• Copyright research

• Biographical research for artists

• Adding keywords to existing records

If you're interested in volunteering, please read our volunteer page carefully and then drop us a line at library@thenewgallery.org.  We'd love to hear from you!