As children head back to school, family time is often hindered by homework and after-school and social activities. September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, a time when the nation’s public libraries highlight the value of a library card.
A public library card is your ticket to free educational resources and activities that bring families together. Libraries not only provide resources to parents and children that support early literacy and lifelong learning, but truly transform how families spend time together.
Cardholders have free access to a family destination that provides a spectrum of free services, including digital workshops for all-ages: STEAM programs and activities, mother-daughter book clubs, family story times and game nights.
Families are integral to a child’s development, as shown by data collected by the Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), for its report, “Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement.”
The report highlights the importance of libraries, with their rich digital environment and hands-on resources, and skilled librarians in helping parents to guide their children’s learning. Libraries are spaces, it notes, that embrace the entire family across every generation and offer constructive outlets for family engagement, including makerspaces, water-wise gardening, STEAM activities and writing clubs.
Libraries throughout the country are bringing families together for both learning and quality personal time. They are serving a crucial need especially in areas with immigrant populations with low incomes. Throughout Library Card Sign-Up Month, libraries will offer a variety of incentives to spur sign-ups and renewals.
This September Disney Pixar’s superhero family, the Incredibles, will team up with the ALA to promote the value of a library card. As honorary chairs, the Incredibles will remind families, students and people of all ages that signing up for a library card is a great step toward a truly super lifestyle: libraries offer fun and informative resources to help you pursue your passions and succeed in school.
Visit www.ala.org and www.nassaulibrary.org for more information about your local libraries.
