My library card is a tiny sliver on my keychain. It’s a key to lots of free stuff:

• Print books
• Audio books and Playaways
• E-books
• Magazines
• DVDs
• Music CDs
• Video games
• Interlibrary loans
• Research databases
• Public computers and high speed internet access

I am a big library fan. I have a vivid memory of being told (at perhaps age five) that I could check out as many books as I wanted to, or at least as many as I could carry. Eureka!

My first paycheck was from a library. I worked at libraries in high school, college, and much later in Bluffton. The biggest perk was never having a lack of something to read or watch.

A Columbus Public Library card now helps me take advantage of the many online research and genealogy resources provided by a major library. No need to drive there.

My childhood library never had board game day or curbside/parking lot pickup, like you’ll find here in Ada. But the same purpose was there: to feed our imaginations and knowledge.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had a library card, this is a great time to sign up. September is Library Card Month, at least nominally. In fact, you can sign up for a card whenever your local library is open. (Ada Public Library hours:  Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m, Saturday 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.) 

Paula Scott, Ada Icon