September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. If you don't already have a card, stop in and sign up or you may register online. If you already have a card, ask your friends if they are registered. Let them know how a library card can empower them by giving them access to technology, resources and services. Books are just the beginning at today's library.
CONTEST
There’s nothing more empowering than a library card. Through access to technology, media resources and educational programs, libraries provide people of all ages the opportunity to pursue their dreams and passions. And there's no one better to tell that story than library lovers like you. This Library Card Sign-up Month, we're asking everyone to help spread some library love by posting to social media about how the library empowers you for a chance to win.
Here's how it works: Post to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #LibrariesEmpower. Entries can also be submitted by posting as a comment or wall post on the I Love Libraries Facebook page. Don't forget to tag your library! The creator of one randomly-selected post will receive a $100 Visa gift and an ALA Graphics The Child Poster. Additionally, three second-place winners will receive an ALA Graphics The Child Poster.
The #LibrariesEmpower promotion begins Wednesday, September 1, at noon CT and ends Wednesday, September 22, at noon CT. All librarians and library lovers are encouraged to participate. The promotion is open to residents of the United States, Washington, D.C., and U.S. Territories. Employees of the American Library Association are not eligible to participate.
Library Card Sign-up Month History
The campaign started in 1987 as a response to then Secretary of Education William Bennett, who stated, “Let’s have a campaign … Every child should obtain a library card and use it.” Read a detailed account in this 2015 blog post at the American Library Association Archives, A Library Card for Every Child: Library Card Sign-Up Month, by Cara Bertram. https://www.library.illinois.edu/ala/2015/08/24/library-card-sign-up-month/