What a difference a year makes, particularly for those who work in or use their public library.
For those not aware, Saskatchewan Library Week is upon us, running from Oct. 15 to 21, and the theme is a very important and pertinent one: “Libraries Matter”.
At the Weyburn Public Library, and I am sure at many of the library branches throughout the southeast and around the province, there will be activities built around this theme to help drive home the point that, in fact, libraries do matter.
One of the activities at the Weyburn branch is a contest where the public is invited to come in and write on a ballot why the library is important to them, and they could win a prize package if their entry is chosen.
So, a question that might arise in the mind of readers: do libraries really matter today?
Of course they do! Just to refresh the memories of those who may not recall this, a year ago, we were on the verge of having the budgets for libraries gutted by the provincial government, with the Southeast Regional Library central office (and that of many other systems around the province) about to close or severely scale down, because funding was slashed by 58 per cent.
What that action did was mobilize the grassroots, as people came out in every community to show their support, that libraries were important to them and their families.
Libraries aren’t just a place to get books, and this becomes evident as soon as one steps into a library.
At the Weyburn branch, there are many resources that one can peruse, such as the movie section, the children’s library filled with children’s books, movies and the toy-lending library, the public-use Internet computers, the large-print section, and resources like reference materials and genealogy-related materials that researchers can look through.
There is the Allie Griffin Art Gallery on the lower level, along with the program room which is extensively used for programs such as activities for children and adults.
Just leaf through their monthly newsletter and check out the list of programs and events available for every age, not to mention the many community groups that call the library home: knitters, the Writers Group, carvers, Toastmasters and the International Women of Weyburn, just to name a few.
One of my personal favourite events is coming up: the twice-yearly book sale. This supports the library, as the proceeds go towards the purchase of new materials, and it provides reading materials of every type, from fiction to nonfiction, for every age level — very much like the library itself. Libraries do matter, so I would encourage you to check them out and see for yourself.
