The Okotoks Public Library has just become a little bit more accessible to Okotokians.

With the newly received Family and Community Support Services grant the library has decided to put the money back into the community by installing five new little free libraries around town.

Director of Library Services Tessa Nettleton says the little libraries are supposed to be self sustaining.

"Basically what they are is it's a big bird house and it holds about 20-30 books that you can put in there at a time and it's an honor system of take one and leave one so it is self sustaining over its lifetime."

Residents can find the two indoor bird houses at the Rec Center and the Food bank while waiting for the five new installations around the community.

Nettleton says installation starts this week, "The town is actually putting in the poles this week, they are cementing them into the ground in the positions we want them and then I have a local gentlemen installing the actual little free libraries on the poles. So you know we can really get them up and running by the end of July."

The library took into consideration areas and residents that might be isolated from the public library and wanted to install the new free public libraries in locations where they would bring some social importance.

Nettleton says they hope the new additions helps improve the town's social framework.

"We are trying to kind of dovetail into the social framework part of the town. Some of those things are isolation of seniors, or people that don't really know anybody and to have them in your parks you might meet a neighbor that's coming to do the same thing and you talk about them. It also becomes an ownership thing for the children to look after books and be really excited for a new book and it becomes a convivial thing."

The five new locations book worms can locate the new libraries are Drake Landing, Westmount, Suntree, Cimarron and Sandstone.

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