September is Library Card Sign-up Month

There is so much more to your local libraries than just books; holding a library card opens the door to a world of education, entertainment and learning. September is National Library Card Signup Month, and the Dover Public Library and the Tuscarawas County Library System offer plenty of compelling reasons to get a card if you haven’t already.

“For the countywide library system,” said Director Michelle Ramsell, “our service population, the number of people that we serve generally, is about 56,000 people. You are also able to use your card from several nearby libraries if you don’t want to get a separate card for Tuscarawas County libraries.” Just short of 33,000 cardholders are to be found for the county system. “We don’t have everyone signed up, but we would love for everyone in the county to have one of our cards. We see quite a bit of activity with patrons using their cards obtained at other libraries, so that adds to that total as well.”

Dover Public Library is a stand alone entity all its own, and sees roughy 17,000 cardholders, said library Director Jim Gill, “which is pretty full saturation.”

Librarian Mallory Thompson heads up the drive for cards at the Dover library. “We want to encourage people to come in and see all the library offers,” she said. ”Of course, people expect books. But we also have movies, full TV series, video games and board games. The children’s library offers to-go kits and away bags with activities and books when you’re out and about with your children. In addition to items in the library, digital content is available online from Libby, Toobi, and Axis 360, all of which are available for download and are accessed via the bar code on your library card.”

The Dover Library also arranges to procure books not found on their own shelves, through networks shared with other libraries. The library is also giving away four copies of the book “Suddenly This Summer,” by Susan Mallery, with entries each day patrons use their card.

The county library system has come through a rough pandemic transition to find themselves in a stronger position than ever, Ramsell said. “In 2020, gosh, who would have ever thought we would be dealing with a pandemic? But we continued to serve patrons when we were closed, answering phone lines and helping people from home. Last year was when we were really able to open fully again and resume our regular programs. We have seen a real increase in traffic at the library. We also saw a huge number of people signing up for digital content, many of whom were unaware that there were so many offerings available online. That actually enabled us to reach a lot more people from their homes. Many are still using that but many are also coming into the physical library.”

“Some of the things you can check out from the county library are museum passes, a ghost hunting kit, a metal detector, a telescope, a moisture meter for you home’s walls, an iPad, a laptop,” said Ramsell. “There are so many things you can check out that are well beyond the traditional books and DVDs.” The county library card will also get you access to online streaming services for digital content.

“Your free library card gets you access to all these things,” said Ramsell, “And it’s easy to get a card. You just need a photo ID with your current address or a piece of mail with your name on it received at your address.”

Another great bonus at the county system: no late fees in most instances. “We are fine free,” she said. “We find that owing fines can be a barrier to using the library facilities. If you return something late, there is no fine. If you have more than three items out at a time, you will just have to return them before checking out anything new.”

The Tuscarawas County Public Library System has branches in Bolivar, Tuscarawas, Strasburg and Sugarcreek in addition to the main library in New Philadelphia. The Dover Public Library is at 525 Walnut St.