The Allen County Public Library and Fort Wayne Community Schools are partnering to get more library cards into students' hands.
The ACPL Student Library Cards will begin with a pilot program at Towles Intermediate School with plans to expand to more schools in the future.
ACPL director of community partnerships and programs Beth Boatright said the program is all about increasing access for kids who might otherwise not get a library card.
“Students don’t always get a chance to get library cards and this is just another way to get those academic support resources we offer into the hands of more kids in our community," she said.
FWCS will communicate with families about the library card opportunity before updating existing library accounts or issuing new cards to each student. With these cards, students will have access to online tutoring, skill-building courses, and language-learning resources, all free of charge.
Boatright also said it's important for parents to know that the ACPL is fully fine-free, so they don’t need to worry about incurring charges for returning any materials late.
She is encouraging students to watch for opportunities to help design these student library cards in the future.
We should disclose that WBOI President and General Manager Travis Pope is a member of the Friends of the Library board at the Allen County Public Library.
