September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. We’d love for those of you who do not have a library card to stop by the library and sign up for one. With your card you get access to books, audiobooks, digital materials, movies, magazines, music, newspapers, puzzles, and more! Your New Ulm Public Library card also gives you access to materials from other Minnesota libraries, which can be delivered for you to pick up locally at the New Ulm Public Library. It’s one of the most cost effective back-to-school supplies available.

There are a number of things you can do to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month:

1. Visit your library online. Check out the library’s website for up-to-date information including extended morning hours, the library catalog, and other resources. A couple of resources to check out:

a. We have Ancestry which will be available from the comfort of your home through the end of 2020. It’s an online family history resource usually online accessible from the library.

b. EBooksMN is an online ebook collection for all Minnesotans. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects for readers of all ages, and features titles from our state’s independent publishers, as well as highly-regarded national and international publishers.

2. Visit your library in person. We would love to see you this month as you grab materials. Do you have friends who don’t have library cards? Invite them to sign up for one during September. We continue to provide contactless pickup of library materials for those who would prefer not to come into the library. As the season changes to autumn, we will soon be bringing the contactless pickup into the library’s vestibule.

3. Through a Minnesota Library Reciprocal Borrowing Compact, with your New Ulm Public Library card you can get a library card from any library in Minnesota and explore a library while traveling.

4. Show your library superhero pose for a chance to win $100. The I Love Libraries Facebook page is encouraging individuals to strike a library superhero stance and to post it to Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #LibraryCardHero. They say don’t forget to cover up any personally identifiable information on your library card, and tag your library! The promotion starts Tuesday, September 1 at noon CT and ends Tuesday, September 22, at noon CT.

5. Help spread the word by following I Love Libraries on social media (they have Facebook and Instagram pages) and use the hashtag #LibraryCardSignUpMonth to join the celebration.

6. Play Library Card Sign-up Month Bingo! The bingo cards are available on the I Love Libraries website.

7. Visit our website at www.newulmlibrary.org and sign up for our email newsletter and Wowbrary (where we showcase new titles that have hit the library shelves) even if you don’t have a library card!

Whatever you do to celebrate the month, make sure to enjoy the last few weeks of reading outside. If you don’t have a library card, we encourage you to stop by this month to sign up for a card, replace yours, or to continue to access the wealth of resources we offer. It’s the most important card in your wallet!

We look forward, as always, to seeing you in the library!

Editor’s Note: The City of New Ulm presents a weekly column highlighting activities in different departments in the city government. Once a month the city will answer questions from readers. Questions on New Ulm city issues can be sent to comments@ci.new-ulm.mn.us.