Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries unite together in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card.
Did you know?
- The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 167 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves, which would span roughly the distance from The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- A growing body of evidence suggests that students’ academic success is linked to library usage, including improved student retention and an enhanced academic experience.
- Libraries play a critical role in the happiness of Americans. Communities that spend more on libraries, parks and highways are shown to support the well-being of community members.
- Patrick Flavin. State government public goods spending and citizens’ quality of life. Social Science Research, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.11.004
- Americans go to public libraries more often than they go to the movies.
- There are more public libraries than Starbucks in the U.S. – a total of 16,568, including branches. Nearly 100% of public libraries provide Wi-Fi and have no-fee access to computers. There are 16,568 total libraries including branches in the U.S. per 2016 PLS survey
- Public Libraries Survey, FY 2016, Table 3 of the Supplemental Tables
- 2018 Starbucks: 14,606 corporate and licensed locations within the USA. Source: Starbucks Corporate Customer Relations, 12/28/2018
Celebrate Library Card Sign Up Month! Check out our Library Blog “Turning the Pages” to learn more about what our library has to offer.