September is library card sign up month and a library card is your student’s passport to all things learning and beyond.
Libraries are one of our greatest public resources and SCETV Education is happy to promote library usage by highlighting all the benefits a library card can provide a holder with the brand-new American Library Association tool, Check Out Your Library.
The American Library Association started the National Library Card Sign-Up Month campaign in 1987 after Secretary of Education William Bennett said, “every child should obtain a library card and use it.” The ALA took this as the greenlight and teamed up with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science to start the campaign, sending Secretary Bennett a telegram saying, “We accept your challenge.” Since then, every September the ALA, schools, libraries and now SCETV, want to stress the importance of obtaining a library card.
A library card can not only benefit your learners, but also their caregivers. Especially now that libraries are so much more than books. Libraries host classes, workshops, free family events, and campaigns all year round to promote learning, discovery, and community at every age. My local library, the Richland Library on Main Street in downtown Columbia, where you can find me on most weekends with an avid 6-year-old reader, is one of my favorite places to go. I can check out tools like a weedwhacker or even a fishing rod, discover the history of South Carolina, and get opportunities to use equipment in their Makerspace I otherwise would not have access to!
In the ever-growing landscape of digital media, the library card still reigns king. Libraries across the country have partnered with companies like OverDrive, Libby, Kanopy, Sora, and hoopla to provide eBooks, audiobooks television programs, movies, documentaries, magazines and more for students to check-out virtually, all completely for free with your library card number. Want to find out what your local library offers your students? Library Card Sign-up Month sponsor, OverDrive, launched Check Out Your Library (COYL), a multi-year program designed to help libraries attract their community by showcasing their incredible resources on offer. COYL also has a ton of free resources to highlight your local library like Canva templates, printable logos, and flyers, and more!
To find out what SC library services your community, visit the SC State Library directory of state and public libraries: South Carolina Public Libraries | South Carolina State Library.
