For 50 years, the Palliser Regional Library system has worked to make books as accessible as possible to communities throughout south central Saskatchewan.
And that’s something that’s worth celebrating.
The library will be holding a special mini-fair on Monday, July 3 at its South Hill location at 366 Coteau St. West, with the event featuring a range of activities and things to do as Palliser Regional celebrates five decades in the communities they serve.
“There will be lots of activities for the kids, there will be lots of food and we’ll be giving out birthday cupcakes as well… we’re hoping it’ll be a beautiful day and a really good afternoon,” said Palliser Regional Library director Arwen Rudolph. “If you’ve always been curious as to what that thing that is a library but isn’t a library on South Hill, come by and find out what we’re all about. It’ll be a family-friendly event with lots for kids to do.”
A bouncy castle will be one of the highlights for the young ones, with a trio of food trucks — Kona Ice, The Cone Artist and Blue Angel Donuts — stopping by to offer delicious treats. The Moose Jaw Public Library will also be on hand with crafts and activities for kids, as well as signing up folks for library cards and the summer reading club.
Best of all, you can take part in everything free of charge.
The Palliser Regional Library system officially came into existence on July 3, 1973 — yes, to the date of the mini-fair — and has since grown to support branches in 20 communities in the region they cover.
While the South Hill location isn’t a library per se, it acts as the central hub for all the locations outside of Moose Jaw, offering support services that include training, payroll administration and coordination of province-wide resource sharing.
That aspect — the ability to source books from libraries all over Saskatchewan — is one of the major parts of their activities.
“If you order a book from Saskatoon or Regina, we’re the ones who bring it in.” Rudolph explained. “We’ve really emphasized resource sharing, regional libraries are the core of that, and it helps us offer our communities many more options than they’d have otherwise.”
And their services are very much appreciated — despite the south central region population decreasing in the past 50 years, usage of Palliser Regional Library has only grown.
“People are still using our services, and all the branches that have opened in the region since then have done so with the help of Palliser Regional Library,” Rudolph said.
That all leads to July 3, which will see all the action taking place in the Palliser Regional Library parking lot from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“So we’re hoping we’ll see a lot of people come out and have a good time,” Rudolph said.
