Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Al Harris Library Day with a special event on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Al Harris Library. Members of the campus community and the public are invited to attend. The event will include light refreshments, and attendees can sign a commemorative card to share notes of appreciation for library staff. The celebration coincides with National Library Workers Day, which is observed during National Library Week.
Al Harris Library Day was first recognized on April 25, 2001, after a proclamation from former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating. The designation acknowledged the library’s role in providing public access to federal and state government information. SWOSU became part of the Federal Library Depository Program on July 24, 1958, and later expanded that role by becoming a state government depository on July 1, 1994. These milestones reflect the university’s longstanding commitment to making information accessible to students, researchers, and residents across western Oklahoma.
The current Al Harris Library building opened in 1968. Students formed a line across campus to move books from the previous library, now the Art Building, to the new location. That effort reflects a long-held emphasis on access to information and shared responsibility for learning within the SWOSU community.