Schools

Adults And Children - Do You Have A Library Card?

Not only is September "Library Card Sign-Up Month" but the American Library Association says your local library can save you money on back to school costs.

 

If you're looking to save a little dough when sending the kids back to school this year, you might want to look inside your local library.

September is the 25th anniversary of Library Card Sign-up Month, a national campaign that seeks to put a library card in the hands of every student (and every adult, too).

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Thousands of public libraries and school libraries will take part in the effort this year by hosting special programs on the free educational resources that libraries offer to students, according to the American Library Association.

In Clinton at the , there is an annual tradition of a Kindergarten Library Card Celebration, said Lynn Hidek, Assistant Director and Children's Librarian.

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"Since kindergartners here enjoy a full-day program, we allow them to get into the rhythm of school, waiting until early October to issue the cards," stated Hidek.

This year the celebration will be held during school hours on Wednesday, October 3. The students will be entertained by Al deCant, the singing principal, in an interactive concert that highlights literacy and character development.

Afterwards, Joel School Library Media Specialist Christine McGregor and Hidek call up the kindergartners by name, presenting them with their "passport into the wonderful world of books and reading."

"It's become a treasured right of passage!" said Hidek.

Don't forget that using the library can save your family money.

At your local library "just 10 hours of computer use, reference assistance and database searches can save families more than $380," the American Library Association says in a press release.

Additionally, the library association said getting information is easy, but getting the right information takes practice.

Why pay for computer training when a library provides free technology workshops for the whole family? More than 90 percent of libraries offer formal or informal technology assistance to library users and 35 percent offer one-on-one technology training by appointment – all for free, it said.


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