That is the catchphrase for 2014’s Library Card Sign Up Month campaign from the American Library Association, so today during my lunch break I signed up for a card at the local NYPL branch here in SoHo.
While getting a library card is a rite of passage when you are small, and during this campaign we librarians tend to focus on signing children up for their first card, signing up for a library card in the community where you work or go to school is incredibly convenient. Most public libraries will allow you to join near your job as long as you can bring in proof of residence, information that you can probably find on your paystub or employee ID; students can often get proof of attendance from the main office or registrar.
Being an adult library user is a wonderful thing. Online databases and audio- and e-book downloads make it easy to be a library user without actually traveling to a building; and you won’t experience late fines because the digital files just time-out and become inaccessible once the loan period is over! I am also a huge fan of the Ask-A-Librarian/chat feature on library websites. In particular, if you ‘ask a librarian’ of Congress you will get incredibly thorough and detailed answers to research questions via email. I’ve used that for work here at Scholastic when I am presented with a particularly challenging research question and I’m exploring all options to find the answer for an author or editor.
As a grad student at Pratt's library school, I got an ABC card from the Brooklyn Public Library and requested most of the ‘texts’ for my graphic novel course, which were delivered to the local branch closest to my apartment. I then went on to purchase my own copies of Maus, Persepolis, Jimmy Corrigan, and Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid, which fits me squarely in with the demographic of library users that purchase materials after discovering them at the library. Acquiring, shelving, and cataloging graphic novel collections was a huge discussion in the early 2000s when I worked at the public library, so it is fitting to mention that this year’s honorary chair for the campaign is Stan Lee.
Besides trial reading new authors and genres while commuting, now that I am working in Manhattan I’m going to take advantage of NYPL’s adult summer reading program in 2015 and this November I’ll use the library as a spot to work in during National Novel Writing Month. According to the most recent Public Libraries in the United States Survey, library programming offerings (a 7-year increase of 46.7 percent) and attendance (an 8-year increase of 32.3 percent) have both gone up, so I won’t be alone – especially if you join me in renewing your commitment to the public library this month! Sign up your child, grandchild, or students for a youth card; and while you’re at it make sure that your own account is current. Browse the new book display in the adult reading room, pick up a programming calendar on your way out the door, and model the habits of a lifelong learner!
