Released on October 15, 2013
Education Minister Don Morgan will join the Saskatchewan Library Association (SLA) at Government House to kick off Saskatchewan Library Week. The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed October 15-22, as Saskatchewan Library Week to recognize the essential role that more than 1,000 libraries provide to citizens across the province.
This year’s theme is "Libraries Connect", which acknowledges the importance of libraries in building connections between people, communities, ideas and information.
“Libraries provide the resources and services that foster literacy and lifelong learning,” Morgan said. “The Government of Saskatchewan understands that a well-educated and highly-skilled population is critical to the future success of our province.”
A number of programs and services are provided each year through the Provincial Library and Literacy Office, in collaboration with its partners such as the SLA. These include the Single Integrated Library System (SILS), which allows libraries to connect with each other and provides users with equitable and seamless access to resources and online services through a universal library card. Saskatchewan History Online (SHO) is another program, which, since its launch in 2011, continues to expand digital access to Saskatchewan’s historical and cultural records by digitizing collections from libraries, archives, museums, local history societies and special collections from across the province.
"Libraries play a central part in our communities,” Saskatchewan Library Association President Robert G. Thomas said. “They are places where people of all backgrounds, ages and education levels can gather to read, learn and access the latest quality materials.”
The SLA has sponsored Saskatchewan Library Week since 1976. This year, the SLA has provided 20 small grants to help support special library events across the province, which include a bird-watching presentation in Foam Lake, a social for newcomers and immigrants in Windthorst, a poetry slam for teens in Regina and a storytelling event for adults in Saskatoon called “Stories in the Bar.” These events also help to raise the profile of local libraries within their communities.
For more information about the Saskatchewan Library Association visit http://saskla.ca/. For more information on SILS, please visit http://catalog.sasklibraries.ca/screens/libinfo.html. For more information on SHO, please visit http://saskhistoryonline.ca/.
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For more information, contact:
Leya Moore
Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1069
Email: leya.moore@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-533-7506