Parents, guardians, children and teens in Olds and area can celebrate Canada's 150th birthday all year long with free literacy programs at Olds Municipal Library.
Starting in 2017 the library board has made the move to provide free programming for youth under 18. It is hoped that the free programs will help people during the economic downturn.
Library board chair Rudy Durieux says "the board has been in discussion about having free library access for all and we're actively going in that direction.
"We were looking for a way to make all library fees free, but what we had available in the budget at this time didn't make that possible. However, when the idea of free youth and children's programming was presented to the board we were totally in favour of it."
Olds Municipal Library values young people of the community and free library programs are available for all patrons under 18 years of age. Previously, youth and children's programs ranged in price from $5 to $40. Registration for the first half of 2017 is now open to the public and library memberships are not required for program attendance.
"It's a nice way to introduce those who have never attended a program to the library," says library manager Lesley Sackett Winfield. "We're pretty excited to have free programming for youth in Olds."
Most funding for the library's annual budget comes from the government and is based on population. Some adult events will still have a fee to help cover the cost of the programs.
Please visit the Olds Municipal Library website to see what we do to enhance the community and generations of the future. A calendar of events and online registration is available at oml.prl.ab.ca/events.
- Nischuk is the Olds Municipal Library's marketing coordinator.
"It's a nice way to introduce those who have never attended a program to the library."LESLEY SACKETT WINFIELDLIBRARY MANAGER
