September 2011: Happy National Library Card Sign-up Month!

September brings school, changing colors and free replacement library cards! Every year we celebrate National Library Card Sign-up Month by offering free replacement cards to those who have lost theirs or simply want an upgrade to the shiny new key cards we offer. Normally, replacement cards are $3 which helps us cover the cost of the new card, but we want to encourage everyone to use their local library and want to make that a little easier this month. September is also when we make a big push to get kids signed up so they can be prepared to use the library for homework and research during the school year. Students can get a library card application at their school and return it to either the library or the school. Cards are then mailed out later in the month.

We've also received a couple of grants recently to help our users find work. We were awarded a $5,000 grant from Colorado Workforce Services to implement access to their services through our libraries located in towns without an Workforce office. You'll find a link on our website that will guide you to their resources for finding a job, getting help with a resume and more. Check it out at www.gcpld.org. We've also received an $18,500 Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Colorado State Library to expand Colorado Mountain College's Go2Workshps program to the library. Called Go2workshops@YourLibrary, we will be offering free computer classes for adults in Spanish and English starting in December. Watch our website or ask at your local library for more information.

Finally, one more September event to remember is Banned Books Week, from September 24 to October 1. Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States. Such diverse titles as Brave New World, Twilight, Nickel and Dimed, and The Hunger Games were challenged in libraries in 2010. While everyone is entitled to their opinion about what they want to read, public libraries champion the rights of those who choose to read what they want without censorship or bias. Learn more at www.bannedbooksweek.org or by visiting your local library.

As always, I look forward to seeing you at the library!

-Amelia