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Guest columnist Robert Rua, of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, writes on the benefits of library cards for kids. He notes that a significant number of children in Cuyahoga County still do not have library cards.
(Grant Segall/Plain Dealer/file photo)
Robert Rua is with the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Guest columnist Robert J. Rua is Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications at Cuyahoga County Public Library, an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction, and advocate for libraries.
The American Library Association designated September as Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when libraries across the nation united to raise awareness of the benefits of library card ownership.
And this is also a time to highlight the increasingly important role libraries play in the education and development of children and young adults.
Libraries bridge the gap between the classroom and the living room. They are the so called "third space" where students from all incomes and backgrounds are afforded free and open access not only to books, computers, e-books, educational databases, and other learning resources, but to safe, welcoming after-school environments, the support and guidance of caring adults, and robust out-of-school-time learning opportunities.
Libraries are also critical Internet hot spots. According to an August 2015 report released by the U.S. Broadband Opportunity Council, three out of every four Americans do not have access to broadband at 25 Mbps, the speed commonly accepted as the baseline for broadband access.
High-capacity broadband is increasingly necessary to view multimedia websites and real-time video and audio feeds. For millions of students libraries are often the only place in the neighborhood where high-speed broadband access is available free of charge.
Last month, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, East Cleveland, Euclid, Lakewood, Rocky River, Shaker Heights and Westlake public libraries teamed up to help ensure every student under 18 years old in the county owns a library card. We're calling this cooperative initiative "A Card for Every Kid."
Through the end of September, every library in the county offered one-time fine forgiveness to students who owe fines. Our goal is to ensure every student has access to the wealth of resources and high-speed broadband our local libraries provide.
Readers may be surprised to learn that a significant number of children in the county do not have library cards. For instance, Euclid Public Library estimates that in 2014 roughly half of the city's residents under the age of 18 did not own a library card.
Last September and October, Cuyahoga County Public Library partnered with the Parma City and South Euclid-Lyndhurst school districts to issue new library cards to nearly 12,000 students as part of a ConnectED: Library Challenge pilot project. More than half of those students had not previously owned a library card.
What are the roadblocks that keep some students from owning a library card? What can we, as libraries, do to remove those roadblocks? These are the questions we seek to unravel through the A Card for Every Kid initiative.
Did you remember to include "get a library card" on your child's back-to-school checklist? If you answered "no," there's no need to worry. It's not too late, plus you can't beat the price (free) or the return on investment (priceless).
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Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Linda Kinsey at lkinsey@cleveland.com. Essays must also include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.