The Park Ridge Library welcomed more than 240 new cardholders during National Library Card Sign-up Month this September, 152 of whom were residents over 18. The newest Library patrons received an official Library tote bag, with special drawstring bags for school-age patrons. Everyone who signed up received a free entry into a weekly drawing to win one of four gift cards donated by The Harp & Fiddle in Park Ridge.
“We’re always excited to have a new patron sign-up, whether it’s a brand new, four-year-old reader or an adult who just moved into town,” said Patron Services Manager Anastasia Rachmaciej. “Library Card Sign-up Month is a fun way to celebrate something that can be a milestone in a person’s life.”
Library cards are issued to all Park Ridge residents free of charge. To obtain a library card, residents should bring proof of residency with their current home address (driver's license, state ID card, checkbook, utility bill or lease) to the Patron Services Desk in the Library’s first floor lobby. Cards are valid for three years. Every card also comes with a key chain-sized card, and cardholders with a smartphone can download the Keyring app to check out books directly from their phone.
Residents can also sign up for a card online through the Library website at https://www.parkridgelibrary.org/library-cards/
About Library Card Sign-up Month
Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is celebrated each September to coincide with the onset of the school year. Librarians are literacy experts, offering everything from preschool story hours to summer reading clubs that sustain school-year learning.
Libraries are also a resource for people of any age to find what they need to transform their quality of life. Libraries are the centers of their communities, places where people of all ages and backgrounds can find and freely use a diversity of resources, all under the expert guidance of librarians.
Today’s libraries expand beyond their traditional roles, providing more opportunities for community engagement and delivering new services that connect closely with patrons’ needs.
Public programs revolve around issues that are relevant to patrons, such as finding reliable health information, acquiring skills needed to thrive in today’s digital economy, succeeding in school and life and purchasing affordable health insurance.
According to latest figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 171 million registered borrowers across public libraries in the U.S. Annually more than 1.3 billion visitors take advantage of free access to information and library services.
Libraries continue to transform to bring in new technologies to serve their users – including wireless Internet access, e-readers, library apps, 24/7 online reference help, e-books, video streaming and makerspaces.