Photo by Jennifer Silverberg
A library card can unlock hundreds of dollars in savings each year, along with access to resources that support learning, work, creativity, and connection.
That’s why St. Louis County Library (SLCL) is celebrating National Library Card Sign-Up Month this September by inviting businesses and their employees as well as folks across the region to sign up for a library card.
“St. Louis County Library offers something for everyone. What a better way to remind people than a library card campaign encouraging people to ‘Sign Up and Save!'” said Kristen Sorth, St. Louis County Library Director & CEO, in a recent press release. “The region is better because of public libraries. If you haven’t visited a public library in a while, now is the time to start exploring all SLCL has to offer.”
The initiative gives corporate and community partners an easy way to connect their employees with the resources available through SLCL. Throughout September and beyond, people can sign up for a library card online, with the option to pick up their card at a SLCL branch or have their card mailed directly to their home. For the average patron who checks out library materials, the savings can be significant. By borrowing rather than purchasing materials, patrons save, on average, more than $900 per year, according to SLCL.
But the value of a library card extends far beyond books and other materials.
Cardholders can access free meeting rooms, a wide range of programs and events, quiet and collaborative workspaces, computers and Wi-Fi, and $5 of printing services each month. For employees working remotely or looking for a place to meet, focus or connect, the library can also serve as a flexible community workspace. And for employers looking to offer their teams a meaningful benefit, access to SLCL resources can be a simple way to connect employees with opportunities for professional development, lifelong learning, and community engagement.
Most employees in the St. Louis region will qualify for a free SLCL card based on where they live: Eligibility extends beyond St. Louis County to include residents of St. Louis City, St. Charles, Franklin, Gasconade, and Warren counties, as well as many areas of Jefferson County.
SLCL also makes participation easy. Once an organization signs on, the library will provide a form for employees to complete and then handle the rest of the process. Employees can choose whether to pick up their cards at a branch or have them delivered to their homes.
Several large employers and local nonprofits are also participating in the campaign to sign up their employees for library cards, including Schnucks; Greater St. Louis, Inc.; Commerce Bank; Bayer; Clayco; Operation Food Search; and the St. Louis Symphony. For businesses and organizations, the partnership offers a relatively simple way to help employees discover resources they may already have access to but aren’t using.
And for employees, the payoff can be substantial: a free library card can mean hundreds of dollars in annual savings and access to spaces, technology, programs, and experiences designed to help people and families learn, work, and thrive.
Details about how to sign up for a SLCL card are available at www.slcl.org/library-cards.