September is Library Card Sign Up Month.

From storytime to school group projects, the library is a place of fond memories from our youth. We visit libraries as children and later as young adults to conduct research. Afterwards, it becomes a meeting spot for professional developments or a random DVD check out. Yet the full extent of the library and by extension library cards are rarely taken advantage.

In actuality, we have a plethora of free programs and resources with just our library cards. For instance, through the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library, patrons have access to extensive language learning programs with Mango Languages, thousands of streaming films with Kanopy, digital ebooks and audiobooks with Overdrive, and homework help with PebbleGo. Professionals have the opportunity to advance their careers with certificates obtained through Ed2Go courses, which are free with a library card.

Don’t forget the library gives you access to its greatest resource, librarians. Dubbed the original search engine, librarians are highly trained researchers waiting to assist patrons with even the most obscure inquiries. Contrary to public perception, librarians have always fought for freedom of information and access, which is why it is so important for all citizens to obtain their library card. Not only will it make a librarian’s heart smile, it exercises the right to knowledge and choice.

Besides it’s one of the few cards you can swipe guilt free.