Dear friends,

We librarians are a funny group. We have our own little “holidays” as it were—our own insider “cel­ebrations” that give our profession a boost and help to remind us why we chose librarianship in the first place. And two of those special biblio-centric happenings occur in September: Library Card Sign- Up Month and Banned Books Week.

The former speaks for itself. It’s a call to action to libraries and communities across the world. And that call goes something like this: “Get your library card, people!” There’s no reason for you not to have one. If you are reading this and don’t live in Richland County, (I’m sorry for you. I can attest that it’s a lovely place to live.) there’s a library in your community that would be just thrilled to put a library card in your hand and hook you up with all kinds of good books, classes and technology. In our lovely county, almost 60% of our residents have a library card. That’s respectable but it also means that almost half of the people who live here do not. In a world where Google seems to provide answers to many of our questions, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But with all due respect to Google (and Apple) your library card is way more versatile. Want to download a new bestseller for your Nook? We’ve got a card for that. Want to research your family his­tory using Ancestry.com? We’ve got a card for that. Want to check out 60 of the best and most beautiful picture books for a cheap (and much better) way to spend a rainy afternoon with your child? We’ve got an app—whoops— a card for that. I could go on but you get the picture.

So if you know someone who doesn’t have a library card, tell them how you use yours. You may also want to remind them that the services we offer are already paid for. By them. And if you are feeling extra bold, get them in your car and drive them to your favorite branch and stand there while they fill out the application. That would really make our day—even if it happens in October.

Question: What do the books To Kill a Mockingbird; Lord of the Rings and The Great Gatsby have in common? “Classics” you say? Yes. But they are also, according to the American Library Association, some of the most banned books of all time. Banned Books Week (September 24th-October 1) draws attention to a simple but fundamen­tal premise: you should be able to read what you want. Sounds about right to me. There’s something on our shelves for everyone. Even your friend who doesn’t have a library card. Yet!