Since 1987, Library Card Sign-Up Month has been recognized in the month of September across the world. Having a library card opens the door for plenty of benefits as well as thousands of books at your disposal.
“Here with a library card, of course, they can check out print materials,” said Brittany Tibbett, the circulation librarian at the Hattiesburg Library. “We have books. We have magazines. We have books on CDs or audiobooks, and we have DVDS. And this is for all ages, for kids, teens, and adults. We have a wide variety of materials. With a library card, adults can also have access to our Hoopla app. So that’s going to be digital products like eBooks and audiobooks and [it] also has some tv shows and movies and some neat things like the great courses catalog.”
The Hattiesburg Library just started a teen center in efforts to get teens engaged with reading as well as offering games.
“We recently started a teen center,” Tibbett added. “So that’s been wonderful for the last few months, having a safe place for kids to hang out after school and on the weekends. So, there’s that aspect of it.”
Along with the various resources that having a library card will provide, it can also benefit students by offering materials such as access to private study rooms and Learning Express which is a service for test prep and studying.
“I love seeing the excitement that people get here,” Tibbett said. “They get excited for all the different books. There are very few places that you can go and hang out and take things home for free. You see a lot of joy here. Without a library, kids wouldn’t get that, teens wouldn’t get that, college students wouldn’t get that. If you are not getting those fun novels that you want to read at your university’s library, we have them here.”
Stop by your local library this month and see what is available for you. There is something for everyone, and with your library card, you will gain all access for free. If you have any questions you can contact The Library of Hattiesburg Petal & Forrest County at (601)-582-4461.