The Olds Municipal Library is holding its first-ever Library Giving Day campaign.
This one-day online event, part of an international library fundraiser, will occur on Wednesday, April 10. A pop-up kiosk will be set up at Westview Co-op from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. People will be able to get a free mug for a minimum $20 donation.
But you don’t have to wait to April 10 to support the library. A donation form is on the website at oml.prl.ab.ca/donate. Cash donations are also accepted at the library desk.
"The main kind of focus for Library Giving Day nationwide is an online campaign, so we will definitely be taking online donations and doing some stuff with our Facebook and (other) social media, but we wanted to do something a little bit different so we're doing our little pop-up kiosk in Co-op," Olds library manager Lesley Sackett Winfield says.
She likened it to the kind of thing STARS Air Ambulance does to raise funds.
"It’s an online giving event for the public to show their support for libraries in their community," says Tammy Nischuk, marketing coordinator for the Olds library.
"Olds Municipal Library plays an essential role in the community. We provide a comfortable space where newcomers can learn; seniors can connect to resources; students can incubate ideas and utilize technology; families can discover new interests and more.
“An engaged community really creates a vibrant library,” Nischuk adds.
“Libraries don’t thrive in isolation. It’s a symbiotic organism with patrons, staff, volunteers and partners coming together to build a unique cultural experience. This first-ever Library Giving Day will help our registered charity create even more communal resources to benefit Olds.”
The Olds library is also celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
"Our birthday is in June, so we're going to be doing a big 60th anniversary celebration in June," Sackett Winfield says.
In the meantime, as part of its birthday celebrations, the library is providing free library cards to local residents.
