Every year, National Library Week is celebrated in efforts to highlight the role the institutions and their staff play in inspiring generations of readers.

First observed in the United States in 1958, National Library Week occurs annually each April.

Through Saturday, libraries throughout Utah County will be celebrating the many ways libraries bring people together, spark imagination and support lifelong learning through a variety of events, workshops and offered resources.

“Whether you’re a longtime patron or haven’t visited in a while, now is the perfect time to explore all your library has to offer,” said Erika Hill, community relations manager at the Provo Library, in a press release.

Libraries provide free Wi-Fi, digital collections, career workshops, audio and visual content creation spaces, among many other services, ensuring that the public has access to resources that educate, inspire and connect.

“Libraries are the hub of every community and have something for everyone and aren’t just for children,” said Michele Graves, Eagle Mountain Library director. “Come in, look around, ask questions of staff and get a library card. It’s the smartest card you can have in your possession,”

The following list of National Library Week events was compiled with the help of the Provo Library:

American Fork, Highland and Pleasant Grove Libraries

During National Library Week American Fork, Pleasant Grove and Highland City Libraries are increasing the level of service to their patrons by launching the Timpanogos Library Consortium, or TLC. These facilities will now be sharing a combined catalog system that will allow patrons to request items from a TLC library and have it transported to their home library.

American Fork Library is located at 64 S. 100 East.

Highland City Library is located at 5400 Civic Center Drive, Suite 2.

Pleasant Grove library is located at 30 E. Center St.

Alpine

While the city of Alpine does not have a library, a local group — Friends of the Alpine City Library — organizes and hosts various events to inspire reading among youth in the community. Each Tuesday at 11 a.m., the organization presents story time at Burgess Orchard Stand located at 500 Bateman Lane in Alpine.

Eagle Mountain Library

Eagle Mountain Public Library hosts a weekly community food pantry and is open to anyone in the community to come in and either take from the pantry or donate for others. Additionally, a seed library is available for the community to utilize along with radon detection kits for checkout and outdoor equipment to borrow such as telescopes, binoculars, croquet sets, bocce ball, oversize chess and checkers.

The library is located inside city hall at 1650 E. Stagecoach Run.

Orem Public Library

The Orem Public Library will hold several special events in alignment with National Library Week.

A Swing Jazz Concert will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The public is invited to experience a night of jazz and swing music by Svetlana and the New York Collective. More information and tickets can be purchased online at library.orem.gov.

A Craft Swap will happen from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Patrons are invited to bring craft supplies in clean, usable condition to the library’s media desk from Monday through Friday to receive a ticket to shop the swap.

Orem Public Library is located at 58 N. State St.

Provo City Library

The Provo City Library will host a monthlong challenge in April to encourage users to explore many different resources available at the library. From board games to art exhibits, there’s something for everyone. People can pick up challenge cards at any reference desk; completed challenge cards can be turned in at the Circulation Help Desk for a prize.

Provo City Library is located at 550 N. University Ave.

Santaquin City Library

For the month of April, Santaquin City Library will be having a Spring I SPY throughout the library. The public is invited to explore the different resources like book clubs for all ages, story times and gaming clubs.

Santaquin City Library is located at 20 W. 100 South St.

Springville Public Library

A bevy of events and activities will take place at the Springville Public Library during the weeklong celebration.

Where’s Waldo — Monday: Explore the library to try to track down Waldo and friends and win prizes.

Elephant & Piggie Party — Tuesday, 7 to 8 p.m.: Elephant and Piggie themed story time, crafts, plus photo opportunities with the characters.

DIY Library Card Holder — Wednesday, 4 to 5 p.m.: Patrons can celebrate National Library Week by creating their own custom library card holder.

Springville Public Library is located at 45 S. Main St.

Vineyard Children’s Library

The Vineyard Children’s Library invites the community to a special event with children’s author Yamile S. Mendez from 4 to 5 p.m. April 16 for a meet and greet and reading from her books.

The event aims to educate patrons on her journey as a writer that champions cultural diversity in children’s literature.

Vineyard Children Library is located at 125 South Main St.

“Libraries are more than just places to borrow books; they are vibrant community hubs that foster imagination, inspire learning and bring people together,” Vineyard Library Coordinator Valerie Popadich said.

Each library encourages community members to take time to rediscover the library and see how it draws people together, the release stated.