The fourth annual "Love Your Library" rally at the Wareham Library celebrated the programs the library provides for everyone, from children to seniors, and raised awareness of a library that has already seen steep budget cuts.

"Each year, we bring in people to show them what goes into all the programs at the library," said Library Director Denise Medeiros.

The Saturday event, which was supported by the Friends of the Wareham Library group, featured booths set up around the library with representatives for everything from garden and quilting clubs to the adult literacy program.

The event also featured an arts and crafts area, a piano player in the lobby and entertainment in the form of the Showstoppers youth performance group in the library's meeting room. Mederios said some members of the Showstoppers were in Providence on Saturday at tryouts for "America's Got Talent."

Mederios said she wanted the event to raise awareness and garner financial support for the library at all levels of government.

The library budget for fiscal year 2014 was $295,637, a six-figure drop from recent years that caused cuts to staff, services and left the Main Library open three days a week as opposed to the normal five. The library had to seek donations just to stay in operation.

The proposed library budget for fiscal year 2015 has been raised to $406,354, but it's still far less than budgets from previous years. Ten years ago in fiscal year 2005, the library budget was $659,105.

"There are regional legislative breakfasts throughout the state to raise awareness, but the goal for this event is to also raise awareness on the local level," Mederios said.

State and local government officials were represented at the rally. Rep. Susan Williams Gifford (R-Wareham) and Selectman Alan Slavin both participated in story time sessions with kids, reading them books in between performances from the Showstoppers.

At the book club table, member Ginny Stevens said the group has met at the library on the first Thursday of the month for over eight years.

"They've always been gracious to us and provided us with a room," she said.

Book club member Dianne Murphy said the group reads a mixture of fiction and non-fiction and that in the past eight years the club has not selected a book she hasn't enjoyed reading.

"The library is so essential to the community. We wouldn't exist as a club if the library wasn't here," Murphy said.

"Lord knows what'll happen with the budget coming up, if we'll even have a library," said Friends of Wareham Library President Priscilla Porter.