September is Library Card Sign Up Month
Alice, Rebecca and Ruby Baker celebrated National Library Card Sign Up Month by obtaining cards of their own at the Reedsburg Public Library. (Submitted photo)
National Library Card Sign Up Month will be celebrated at Reedsburg Public Library this year with four special After School Family Library Card Sign Up sessions! Youth services librarians will host the event on Thursday, Sept. 9, and Tuesday, Sept. 14. Families should come to the Youth Services desk on any of these days after school until approximately 4 p.m. for children (and adults) to get cards!
Although cards can be obtained during any library open hours, the special sessions afford an opportunity to meet youth services staff and pick up a flyer containing the fall programming schedule (also online at www.reedsburglibrary.org), which begins on Sept. 20. Bookmarks for coloring and an edible treat are all part of the special sign-up session. Youth Services Librarian Jess McCarlson remarks that a library card is important because of the many resources that can be accessed with it aside from just books. And it’s all for free!
Books, DVDs, CDs, playaways, Launchpads, and activity bags can all be borrowed with a Reedsburg Public Library card. Your library card number also allows you to check out ebooks and audiobooks from Wisconsin’s Digital Library (Overdrive) or the Hoopla platform, both available through the library’s homepage (reedsburglibrary.org), or as an app from Google Play or the App Store.
To get a library card, adults will fill out a short application and show library staff photo identification and proof of current address. An up-to-date driver’s license is sufficient. If you have recently moved, bring in a recent bill sent to your address for proof of residency, along with your photo ID. Adults must provide their ID and signature for their children under the age of 16 applying for a card. Library staff let parents decide at what age their children may obtain cards.
Most library materials can be checked out for four weeks. Magazines and music CDs can be checked out for two weeks, and most movies on DVD or Blu-ray for one. Two renewals are further allowed for any items without reserves on them. Library customers are encouraged to return their items on or before the due date, although late fees are no longer assessed.
An additional advantage of the Reedsburg Public library card is that it can be used in person to check out materials at any of South Central Library System’s 53 libraries in a seven county area. Alternatively, by using the LINKcat catalog on the library’s homepage (www.reedsburglibrary.org) or the LINKcat app, library customers can reserve library materials from other libraries in the system and have them sent to Reedsburg Public Library. Most available materials arrive at the requesting library in a few days.
For any questions about obtaining a library card, call the library at 768-READ (7323) or email info@reedsburglibrary.org.
