Today marks the start of Saskatchewan Library Week, bringing awareness to what libraries have to offer when it comes to free public education.

The week will last until October 20, showcasing that libraries in Saskatchewan can give access to a free information bank at the fingertips of anyone and everyone.

Andrea McCrimmon, manager of the Swift Current Library, said that the community has been good to the library in the past, and is looking forward to seeing more community support throughout the week.

"It feels really wonderful," McCrimmon remarked when asked how it feels to receive recognition on the library role. "It's a really wonderful thing to be a part of, I love the library on so many levels," she commented before giving off an earnest laugh. "It's a wonderful place to work, and it's wonderful to just have the opportunity to connect with the community on so many ways, I get to see firsthand just how important and how much the library means to people."

The library is no stranger to this kind of community support, as McCrimmon reminisced about the help members of the community gave to the provincially funded facility amid the proposed funding cut of last year.

"We definitely saw that (support) about a year and a half ago when people rallied behind the library, and we came out successful in the end to restore the funding, and I think that just really brought into focus how important the library is to the people of Swift Current."

McCrimmon said that they were offering some special events and program during the week, to which they were hoping to see just as much backing behind.

One of the events was a book sale that took place yesterday in the Swift Current Mall.

At the event, books were sold at a reduced price, with sales going towards the library to host library programming, as well as to buy newer, more popular books for the library.

Another fundraising program is a 50/50 draw held at the library which will be drawn for at the end of Saskatchewan Library Week.

The library is raising money to host programs such as they have planned for the library week, which includes showcasing local authors like Jessica Williams who will be doing a public reading of her books, including the book Mama's Cloud, which is receiving a large amount of recognition.

McCrimmon went into further details about the book and the recognition it's garnering.

"Mama's Cloud is a really special book that's been receiving a lot of widespread recognition for being a really touching story of a child dealing with a parents depression, and it's been getting great reviews all over the place, and Kirkus Reviews has just named it one of the best books of the month."

Other events that the library will be hosting are An Evening With the Prarie Quills, where members of the Swift Current writers group Prarie Quills will host an open reading on Friday, October 19, and will also be hosting a writing workshop with Madona Hamil, an author, playwright, and former CBC producer.

Implying that the library is always looking to draw people in, McCrimmon touched on the fact that she hopes programming during the week is able to provide free education to more members of the public.

"We usually do a special event during the week, and it's always something kind of fun and engaging, and we hope to get new people out to the library by providing this special library week event, so yeah it's been very successful."

The Saskatchewan Library Association is also holding a contest during the week, hoping to create interest in libraries, as well as create young aspiring writers.

The Teen Essay contest asks for youth aged 13 to 19 to submit a 1,000-word-maximum essay about how a library transformed their life in their community, with a first-place prize of a $100 Chapters book card.

Saskatchewan Library Week has been active in the province since 1976, making this the 42nd year of the event.