52 Ways to Use Your Library Card

I meant to post this at the first on the month, but some how it became the end of the month. I am not sure how that happened? Any way, September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. As I posted earlier, my sister and I visited Riverside Cemetery at the beginning of the month. After visiting this oldest cemetery in the Denver area I wanted to find out more on its history. What did I do? I got out my library card went online to Douglas County Library's web site and checked out the book, Riverside Cemetery, Where the History Lies by Annette Student. Then I did a little perusing of their catalog and also checked out Denver's 2008 One Book, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett along with Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex, Full Moon by Jim Butcher, and The Iron Tonic by Edward Gorey, because of course no library visit is complete without at least one Gorey book.

If you don't have a library card now is a great time to pick one up. You can read more about Library Card Sign-Up Month on the American Library Associations web site. They have materials you can download including 52 Ways to Use Your Library Card, which I also included below. HAPPY READING!

52 Ways to Use Your Library Card
(for each week of the year)

1. Get to know your librarian, the ultimate search engine @ your library.
2. Update your MySpace page.
3. Research new job opportunities.
4. Find a list of childcare centers in your area.
5. Learn about local candidates for office.
6. Pick up voter registration information.
7. Check out your favorite graphic novel.
8. Pick up a DVD.
9. Get wireless access.
10. Participate in a community forum.
11. Find out how to navigate the Internet.
12. Prepare your resume.
13. Get new ideas for redecorating your house.
14. Get a list of community organizations.
15. Attend a lecture or workshop.
16. Hear a local author reading his/her latest novel.
17. Join a book discussion group.
18. Attend preschool story hour with your child.
19. Get homework help.
20. Look up all kinds of health information.
21. Research the purchase of a new car.
22. Trek to another planet in a Sci-Fi novel.
23. Call the reference desk if you have a question.
24. Research your term paper.
25. Learn about the history or your city or town.
26. Decide which computer to buy using a consumer guide.
27. Check your stock portfolio.
28. Borrow or download an audiobook for your next road trip or commute.
29. Use the library’s resources to start a small business.
30. See a new art exhibit.
31. Volunteer as a literacy tutor.
32. Find a new recipe.
33. Ask for a recommended reading list for your kids.
34. Make photocopies.
35. Get a book from interlibrary loan.
36. Enroll your child in a summer reading program.
37. Take a computer class.
38. Hear a poetry reading.
39. Take out the latest fashion magazine.
40. Enjoy a concert.
41. Trace your family tree.
42. Check out a special collection of rare books.
43. Check out a legal question or issue.
44. Find out how to file a consumer complaint.
45. Learn about home improvement.
46. Borrow some sheet music.
47. Learn how to use a database or computerized catalog.
48. Find the latest romance paperback.
49. Pick up tax forms.
50. Connect with other people in the community.
51. Find a quiet spot, curl up with a book and enjoy.
52. Read a newspaper from another country.