CCPL News : My First Library Card Campaign
September 2004

My First Library Card campaign was a collaborative effort with the Charles County Board of Education and the Charles County Public Library. Registrations were given to parents along with library news and programs. A coloring page of Zack, the library’s mascot, was also given to each child. Breakfast meetings with parents, classroom visits, and evening meetings were all part of getting parents enthused about getting public library cards for their children. All the pre-school parents received registration forms the first week of school. An orientation was given to all pre-school teachers and staff to get them excited too. The cards were delivered to the schools. Zack made a follow-up visit. Zack gave the children warm hugs and encouraged the children to visit the library with their new library cards. For children and their parents who brought in a coloring sheet, they received a prize at their local public library branch. So far, 425 children have received new library cards with 13 out of 19 schools participating. Thank you to Noel Miller, Charles County Board of Education and Director of School Media, for arranging the distribution of materials for parents. Thank you to Patsy Nistico, Reference Librarian at our Potomac Branch, for registering all the new cards into our system—and checking out all the details. Thank you to the library mascot—seems as if he enjoys cold weather, children, and lots of reading.