On the Blog
It’s Library Card Sign-Up Month!
What Resources can Teens Access with a Library Card?
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, a time where libraries across the country and organizations like the American Library Association (ALA) team up to remind patrons of the many benefits to having a library card. This celebration began in 1987 and coincides with the start of the school year. Throughout the year public libraries not only offer free educational resources, but fun and engaging programing, in-person connection, and extracurricular opportunities like volunteering.
With a library card teens/tweens can:
- check out books in all genres (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, memoir, biography, autobiography, graphic novels, audiobooks).
- access free online audiobook and eBook apps like Libby and Hoopla that have thousands of reading options.
- access yoga classes and tutorials through Bold Yoga.
- access craft lessons and classes through CreativeBug where you can learn how to sew, build a balloon powered car, or make macramé wall hangings.
- engage with authors online like Elizabeth Acevedo, author of Poet X, through the online Author Consortium.
- attend diverse, engaging, and fun programing just for teens and tweens where you can hand out with friends and have fun.
- volunteer (opportunities to come).
There are so many things to do at your local library. Stop by this month and grab yourself a library card!
Five Ways to Start Your At-Home Library Sustainably
Many people know that feeling… when you find the book, the book that makes you want to read on forever. Your favorite book. The one that kept you turning pages, made you gasp out loud, laugh to yourself, or leave you frantically searching for the sequel once you’ve finished. Once you’ve had that feeling, there’s no going back. You’re a reader for life.
So, how can you start building your own at-home library sustainably? How can you collect your favorite books without breaking the bank, cutting down too many trees, and creating more waste in our landfills?
I’ve got five ways you can get started that will accomplish all of these things.
- Before you buy a book, borrow it from your local library. Read it, see if you like it. If you do and want it for your own collection, then you can buy it through one of the methods I will outline below. If you don’t like it, you can return it for someone else to try.
- One way to begin collecting books is by checking out your local library’s used book sales. The Friends of the Library have frequent book sales and many permanent set ups somewhere in the library for you to browse. All the profits from the book sale go back to supporting the library. You can find so many wonderful reads and support your library at the same time!
- Thrift books from other second-hand stores. You won’t believe the treasures you’ll find from the donations charity shops receive.
- If you can’t find a particular book in any of the pervious spots I’ve mentioned, some major book retailers offer a “used” option for book purchases. This reduces waste and paper use.
- Why not ask family and friends for their best recommendations and if they are looking to get ride of any of their books? It couldn’t hurt. You never know what great reads you’ll stumble upon next.