Yolo County Library gives every student in Davis free library card in September as part of library promotion
Libraries across the nation, including the Yolo County Library, joined together to recognize September as the official library card sign-up month, a campaign created by the American Library Association, the major governing and professional association for libraries in the United States. Designating this month was intended to ensure that all students have access to a local library while also raising awareness of libraries’ value in our current day and age.
The Yolo County Library prides itself on the plethora of services it provides to students and the local community. According to Crista Cannariato, the library’s regional manager, the library wanted to use this month as a way to further educate community members about the opportunities that come with having a library card.
These sentiments are shared by Beth Merrill, the librarian at Harper Junior High School in Davis, whose firsthand experiences with students have enabled her to understand the value of a place where one can always rely on receiving accurate information. Libraries’ reliability is particularly significant considering the excess of information currently surrounding us, making it especially difficult to pinpoint purely factual resources.
“With information being produced and disseminated through nonstop means, it is vital that we have ways of verifying and analyzing the information that we encounter and that we have people trained for assisting in locating and organizing information,” Cannariato said. “All of our population, rich or poor, deserve to have the opportunity for reading, listening or viewing information that will help them engage in leisure time and personal growth throughout their lifetime; libraries continue to provide an avenue for everyone to pursue their personal information needs.”
Merrill notes that the library’s ambiance also provides a pleasant environment for students, who are often forced to cope with the anxieties and stress of school. Although UC Davis students have automatic access to Shields Library, having a library card to access the Yolo County Library can still be a desirable option. Many students, including Aidan Delplanque, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major, visit the local Davis library during the school year to reap its academic benefits and rejoice in its peacefulness.
“I enjoy visiting the Yolo County Library because it’s less crowded than Shields and offers so many different types of resources,” Delplanque said. “I think it’s great to see how the library is able to bring the entire community together.”
The various resources provided by the library are useful for people of all ages and backgrounds. Cannariato notes that libraries have transformed over the years to provide a wide variety of resources, and library card sign-up month is an excellent way to remind the community of those resources and encourage them to visit more frequently.
“You can’t actually measure the value in a library card. We provide access to all sorts of free resources — downloadable ebooks and emagazines. We have computers and free wi-fi in all our branches. We recently started offering Chromebooks and Hotspots,” Cannariato said. “Another way the library serves the community is by providing community space, and we do that through free programming, storytimes for young children and educational programs for adults. We offer places for people to meet through our collaborative workspace with our study rooms. We provide services to assist students with their homework, including databases and an afterschool program that operates Monday through Thursday. It’s a space that’s open to everyone and where you can see the diversity of your community. People of all different walks of life can come and utilize their resources and enjoy community with each other.”
For more information, visit the Yolo County Library in person or on its website. The library’s Davis branch is located at 315 E. 14th Street.
Written By: Hadya Amin — city@theaggie.org
