The Weyburn Public Library is Weyburn's public library, operating as part of the Southeast Regional Library system. It offers a wide variety of books, magazines, videos, and CDs, and also holds various community events (often revolving around the arts and literature) for various age groups. It also contains public computer terminals, along with Wi-Fi (introduced in 2012).

History

The library was founded in 1920, and originally located on the top floor of the Old City Hall. After a large amount of demand for one, the school superintendent of the period had heavily lobbied the provincial government to make the library possible. Initially, it only carried magazines and reference materials that could be read on-site. By 1923, it had become a circulating library, and was also stocked with a more varied selection of books that could now be borrowed. The library was supported by the city, province, and by donations from other organizations. After the Rations Board moved out of City Hall in the 1940's following World War II (a change which had reduced the space available to the library), shelves were refurbished, and new furniture was added. But, the need to expand was also realized. On September 14, 1961, the Library opened its new building at its current location on 49 Bison Ave.

The library's chairman at the time, James Porter, also pushed for the formation of a regional library system for Southeast Saskatchewan; after years of promoting the idea in other towns, the Southeast Regional Library system was officially established in January 1966, with James Porter also serving as its first chairman as well. The Allie Griffin Art Gallery, which hosts exhibitions of local artwork, was also established on its lower level.

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