September is Library Card Sign-up Month

Library Card Sign-up Month

Libraries are packed full of inspiration for people of all ages. Behind the walls of your local library are book collections for adults and children, audio-books, DVDs and CDs, computers with internet access, book clubs, story times for little ones, and so much more!

And every library service is free for Maine state residents. All your family needs is a library card to have full access to all libraries have to offer. How cool is that?

“When I got my library card, that’s when my life began.” Rita Mae Brown

If you don’t have a library card already, consider visiting your local library in September during National Library Card Sign-up Month.  Once you have a library card in hand, here are a few ways you can enjoy your local library.

5 Things You Can Do with a Library Card

• Attend Story Time

  • You may think of libraries as quiet, still places. Now, libraries are bustling with activity, especially in the children’s section where the youngest patrons engage with books and magazines. Most libraries have scheduled story times where librarians (a.k.a. professional readers) bring the story to life through song, puppet shows, interactive storytelling, etc. Most libraries even have story times for infants and toddlers. The youngest babies benefit from hearing stories read aloud to them.

• Ask the librarian what books they’d recommend for your child.

  • Librarians are experts of the book and media world. If you ask for their recommendations, they’ll be happy to share them. These recommendations may be based on your child’s current interests like cars or science experiments or princesses. Or, the librarian may recommend the best children’s book you’ve never hear of. They can even point you in the direction of the old favorite that your child wants to check-out and read again and again and again.

• Check-out audiobooks to play at home or in the car.

  • While they aren’t a replacement for a parent or caregiver reading a book aloud, audiobooks are a great way to build little ones’ listening and comprehension skills. Riding/driving time is a great time for your child to engage with stories. Audiobooks are hardly boring. They’re performed by narrators who bring the book to life through your speaker or headphones.

• Teach your kid how to be responsible.

  • Not only do checking-out books teach older children all about the subjects they’re reading about, but having a library card teaches them how to be responsible. They learn how to take care of things that belong to others and how to return books on time. And when a child is old enough to check-out books in their own name, they will likely feel like they’re trusted to take care of a book they borrowed all by themselves.

• Check-out books for yourself.

  • Making time in your busy day to read-aloud to your little one is important to building their lifelong love of books and reading. So is being a reading role model. Each time a child sees you enjoying your time reading and making time to read, you are showing them that reading is a fun and important part of family life and routines.

We would love to hear what other activities you and your family do at your local library. Let us know on Facebook by posting a comment about or a picture of your favorite Maine library!

This post was originally published in September 2018.