All Hail the Library Card

Performing A Sacred Duty

An original book plate from the beginnings of Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn - a one book per checkout limit!

I had a chance to perform one of the greatest honors a librarian can perform the other day, which is the bestowing of a brand new library card.

This was a fairly frequent happening back when I worked the circulation desk, but these days my role is mostly regulated to coming out after the task is done to congratulate the (mostly) young, new recipient.

When Uma turned six, her and I went down to our city library to sign her up. My library also has a six years old sign up policy, the perfect time for the new card holder to be independent enough to know what they want and what they’re interested in, but still young enough to be guided and helped through the process by their parents or guardian.

(I’d add here that although state law protects a child’s library card privacy, there’s no six year old driving themselves down to the library to take out books. So, it remains a matter of parental control, but still a nice and exciting way to build enthusiasm for the kid, and even some measure of personal responsibility.)

In this case, the little girl I’ll call Emma, was six years and one month old as she told me.

At that age, the only thing we have the child actually do is sign her name to her card. The rest of the info is taken care of by the guardian.

After the info is was all punched in, I made a big show of taking out Emma’s new card, and having her sign her own signature to it. The kids usually take this part very seriously. She brought her card over to a desk and took her time writing her signature in big, bold kid letters.

Then I ceremoniously handed it back to her and said, “Emma, do you know what this card gets you?

She shook her head.

“Everything, I said. “Everything and anything you could want!”

It’s easy to forget the great experiment of a town building, open and owned by all, where you can go to find, literally, anything. Books, sure. But these days, information is in high demand.

And in the case of a six year old, ownership. We have the good fortune of our library being an old home. To many generational patrons, this place IS a second home. And to new kids like Emma, we strive for it to become that - a safe, open, welcoming place for her.

That card gives you all that, I told Emma.

She just smiled and tucked her new possession (perhaps her first identification that she now belongs to something important) into her pocket.

One more member of the family, on her first day of being special. Emma took out three books that day and left her mark by making a little drawing on our kids wall.

That place - that sacred, tested, historic place - is hers now. All hers.