Library card is the coolest card

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month

Submitted report

Ninety percent of Oklahomans consider libraries to be important in learning throughout life according to a recent SoonerPoll survey. That statistic is not a surprise as today's libraries are about more than books. September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when Oklahoma’s libraries join libraries nationwide to make sure that every student has the most important school supply of all – a free library card.

 

Librarians provide important resources to kids of all ages. An overwhelming 89.5% of likely Oklahoma voters believe library services are important to their communities and a nearly equal number (87.5%) felt that they and their family members, or others that they know of, get good value from their local library, according to the same poll.

 

Each summer, Oklahoma libraries host reading programs. About 100,000 kids, teens, and preschoolers sign up statewide. "Kids who participate in Summer Reading have the potential to prevent a decline in reading achievement scores from spring to the fall", said Melody Kellogg, President of the Oklahoma Library Association.

 

All Oklahoma residents have access to online resources through the Oklahoma Digital Prairie Resources (http://libraries.ok.gov/digital-prairie-resources/) provided by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL). ODL presents access to many platforms for learning and research. Britannica School and ESBCOhost are provided by the department for access in schools and libraries across the state. Digital Prairie also provides open access to Oklahoma's documents, images, forms, publications and historical archives.

 

"Our library provides access and programs for students of all ages," says Kellogg. "For preschool age children we offer early literacy and storytimes to encourage school readiness, for older children and teens we supplement education with hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) programs, and for nontraditional students we offer GED resources. There’s really something for everyone, and it’s all free with a library card."

 

For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit your local library or you can use the new

Oklahoma library locator provided by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries: http://libraries.ok.gov/public-library-locator/.

Stigler News-Sentinel

204 S. Broadway
Stigler, OK 74462

918­-967­-4655
Fax: 918-­967­-4289