In celebration of the Swift Current Library closing in on its century anniversary - a flag was raised yesterday in Market Square.

Swift Current Library staff and board members along with City staff and rose the flag on day two of Swift Current Library Week that runs until May 5.

One of the City representatives on hand was Swift Current Mayor Denis Perrault, who said when he joined the council in 2009 along with councillor George Bowditch - the library was in a different mode and there was a bit of uncertainty around it. 

"We met at that time, I had the very good privilege of becoming the chair of that board," he said. "We had a goal, and it was to make the library more relevant, usable, and useful. I'm so proud to be here today to be able to raise this flag because I truly believe that's what's happened."

Perrault eluded to the over 100,000 visit the library endured in 2017 as it being a testament to the relevance, usability and usefulness.

The Swift Current Branch Library's head librarian Andrea McCrimmon also spoke at the flag raising and shared with the crowd on hand, a brief history of how the library came to be in its infancy.

"March 12, 2018, marked 100 years since the Swift Current Library board," she explained. "They saw our city library as a critical and essential institution in health, education, and growth of the citizens of Swift Current. The library officially opened in the basement of old City Hall on May 14, 1918, with 440 books that were mostly donated."

Within a year the library would reach over 2,000 books and have more than 600 library members.

The big celebration for the library's 100 years of service to Swift Current will be held on Saturday and will feature barbecue, bouncy castle, kids' activities, music, and a storyteller.