Alachua County library cards are available on campus this week as part of a national campaign to encourage students to utilize their local libraries.
This is the first time the Alachua County Library District is participating in September Library Card Sign-up Month.
About 55 students signed up for free cards Tuesday at Library West as part of the promotion. Library district representatives will be at the same location from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Friday and at Santa Fe College on Thursday.
“A lot of students don’t know that our services are available,” said library district assistant Eric Leppin.
Students can sign up for a library card with either their Gator 1 Card or driver’s license. Any Florida resident can get a card for free.
Emily Thompson, a 20-year-old UF family, youth and community sciences junior, got her card Tuesday and said she plans on using it at the downtown library.
“It’s a good resource to have to be able to go to some of the other libraries,” she said.
Barbara Hood, Smathers Libraries spokeswoman, said it’s great that the district is trying to get students interested in local libraries.
“There’s just so many resources available,” Hood said.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/3/2014 under the headline "Having fun isn’t hard with a free library card"]
