BENTON, KY – September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, a time when public libraries across the nation highlight the value of a library card. In Marshall County, a public library card not only offers families a chance to get new and popular books and DVDs at no charge, but it also opens up a world of opportunities for family togetherness and lifelong learning.
Families are integral to a child’s development, as shown by data collected by the Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), for its report, “Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement.”
The report highlights the importance of libraries, with their rich digital environment and hands-on resources, and skilled librarians in helping parents to guide their children’s learning. Libraries are spaces that embrace the entire family across every generation and offer materials, programs, and digital resources for children, teens, and adults.
“The library is a busy place,” says Kristi Tucker, director of the Marshall County Public Library. “Every day we see people from every age group and every walk of life come through our doors. They’re all looking for something, and it is our goal to provide whatever that is, whether it’s research information, the latest bestseller, a TV show everyone is talking about, Internet access, or simply something fun to do. In the past fiscal year we hosted 564 programs, 484 of which were aimed at children or teenagers. Those programs are really important for families on a budget who want to offer quality educational activities for their children.”
According to a recent report released by the Kentucky Department of Library and Archives, the Marshall County Public Library has 28,852 registered users and over 209,000 people entered one of the three branches during the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
“We say our library has something for everyone, and we strive to make that statement true,” says Kristi Tucker, Director of the Marshall County Public Library. “We are continually working to ensure that the materials we purchase, programs we host, and online resources we subscribe to are meeting the needs of our community as a whole. As part of that effort, we’re currently conducting a survey to assess the needs of our community and our role as a library within that community.”
The library’s survey can be accessed through their website at www.marshallcolibrary.org. All community members, both regular library users and those who do not have a library card, are encouraged to participate in the survey.
The Marshall County Public Library is comprised of three branches — @Benton, @Calvert City, and @Hardin– and a Bookmobile service. The system holds more than 215,000 books, audiobooks, and movies in-house and hosts over 115,000 digital items through their various online services. During the 2015-2016 fiscal year the library circulated 413,058 physical items and 70,169 digital items. In that same year, 420,501 database searches were conducted by patrons.
Library cards are free to all residents of Marshall County and for most neighboring counties.