Do you carry a handful of little plastic cards with you, either in your wallet or on your keyring? It seems that we all carry these “value cards” with us every day. I was thinking about the value of these cards recently as I was considering that September is Library Card Sign-up Month with the American Library Association. When we carry and use a value card, otherwise known as a loyalty card, we hope to receive some benefit from its use. What benefit is there? With store loyalty cards we receive some type of discount, but only when we spend money with that store. And for those of us with credit cards, the interest on them can be out of this world. With a library card interest is the best part and rather than a penalty it’s simply what the card holder puts into it.  

Consider then the little plastic library card you have. For starters, it’s free. You don’t have to spend anything to receive one or to use it. And the value you receive is somewhat stunning. When you consider all the subscription options we have available today and their associated costs we spend much more than people did just one generation back. With movie subscriptions, tv station subscriptions, streaming music services, book, magazine and newspaper subscriptions the costs can be daunting. But for one adult using 12 books, 12 children’s books, 12 audiobooks and 2 newspapers a year with 52 movies and 12 adult programs, in one year that person gets $994 worth of value just for using the library. What a value for a tiny piece of plastic! If you’ve never thought in terms of the value of that card, maybe it’s time to consider what value you might get from the library right up the road. 

Since September is Library Card Sign-up Month, we hope you will consider getting a card, or renewing the one you have as well as encouraging your family and friends to do the same. With the Friends of the Ignacio Library, ICL is partnering with local schools to encourage all of our kids to have a card. We are providing a pizza party to one class in each grade with the highest percentage of library card holders.  

Your library staff is looking forward to the start of school, to seeing more and more of you in the library, and to connecting our community with our library. Please stop by soon to get your ICL “value card.”