The month of September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, a national campaign to emphasize the importance of library cards to a child’s education and to promote literacy. The campaign first started in 1987 as a response to then Secretary of Education, William Bennett, who stated: “Let’s have a campaign. . . . Every child should obtain a library card and use it.”
The first theme was “The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Your Child. . . A Library Card.” This September, Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, author and executive producer, is taking on a new role as honorary chair of Library Card Sign-Up Month. Dias will join the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide in promoting the power of a library card.
Want more ideas? Visit these teaching ideas from ReadWriteThink.org:
Plan a visit to a library to discover more about this magical place.
Dear Librarian: Writing a Persuasive Letter
Students write persuasive letters to their librarian requesting that specific texts be added to the school library. As they work, students plan their arguments and outline their reasons and examples.
A World of Readers: Libraries Around the World
Treat your bookworms to an enjoyable lesson researching and sharing information about online library services in places around the world.
How will you use your library card this month?
It is the policy of NCTE in all publications, including the Literacy & NCTE blog, to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the staff, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.