Starting the week of September 12, library staff will deliver temporary library cards to kindergartners at each of the three elementary school districts and several private elementary schools in Salinas. Parents can then take the temporary cards to their closest library to be replaced with new ones.
The new cards have a Snoopy design, based on the Peanuts character. Snoopy is the "Honorary Chair" of this year's
Library Card Sign-up Month, which is organized annually by the American Library Association.
The library is also hosting six "Family Date Night" events throughout the months of September and October. These invitation-only events for kindergartners and their families will feature a special story time, along with library tours to teach parents about services available about the library.
Library Card Sign-up Month isn't just for kindergartners. The library is encouraging everyone in Salinas to get a library card and learn more about their offerings.
A Library Card Sign-Up event for all ages will take place at Cesar Chavez Library on September 17 from 12 - 4 p.m., with a visit by the MY Museum's Wheelie Mobilee, a mobile educational and interactive museum.
The goal of Library Card Sign-up Month is to instill a love of reading early in a child's life and increase literacy rates throughout the city. The Salinas Public Library has many resources, software programs, and online tools designed to help children learn how to read. There are also programs for adults including citizenship, computer, GED, and ESL classes.
Incentives will encourage both teachers and parents to get children signed up for the program. Book bags will be awarded to the first 25 teachers to sign up for a classroom visit by librarians. The five classes that get the most students to activate their library cards will each receive a collection of picture books valued at $250. Additionally, the Friends of the Salinas Public Library will donate a picture book for every adult who signs up for a library card.
