September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and the Kern County Library wants to make sure that all children in Kern County have the smartest card of all – a library card.

Studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.

Getting a library card is easy. Your first card is issued free when you present identification and proof of your current address at a Kern County Library branch, so visit any branch of the Kern County Library and ask staff for an application form, or print out the application in either English or Español from the www.kerncountylibrary.org website. People under 18 years will need the signature of their parent or legal guardian before a card can be issued. As a special incentive, all first time library card holders who sign up during September are invited to enter a drawing for a gift basket! “A library card has always been the most important school supply of all,” says NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Dwyane Wade, named Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month. “Today’s libraries are thriving technology hubs that millions rely as either their first or only choice for computer and Internet access. In doing so, libraries provide children with not only the tools to be literate, but information literate as well. There’s a lot happening at the Kern County Library, and the best part for both kids and parents is that it’s all free with a library card.”

Observed since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit the nearest Kern County Library branch or visit the library online at www.kerncountylibrary.org.