Sign up for your most important card — your library card

Whenever I move to a new city, the first thing I do is get my library card, even before a driver’s license.

Not only as a reader, but as a writer, I consider my library card to be my most important card. When I enter a library, I’m stepping into my happy place.

I know several published authors who reserve study rooms at their local libraries when they need a quiet place to work on their books. I’ve done the same thing when I wanted to defeat distraction.

Since today is the first day of National Library Card Sign-up Month, I’m highlighting some of the excellent services available at libraries.

You can search the catalog from your personal computer and reserve books and other resources. Besides borrowing books, magazine and movies, libraries have become centers for all kinds of services and information.

Here’s a quick list of other services and events you might find at your library.

• Attend a book club or writer’s group meeting
• Access the Internet
• Find job search assistance
• Listen to a local authors read from their work
• Learn a new language by checking out software, books, or accessing online software such as Mango

Libraries aren’t just about books these days. Many of them offer workshops, art galleries, and cafes. So visit your local library today and be happy.