CHCCS Accepts Leaders Library Card Challenge

Chapel Hill is working on a new initiative that will make accessing library books and resources easy for local students and families.

Last year, public libraries and schools countrywide signed on to compete in a challenge in which cities develop programs for students enrolled in school to easily obtain access to public libraries.

But this year, the new challenge is the Leaders Library Card Challenge. It encourages the same things – for schools, libraries and towns to collaborate. Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said all three are going to be up to that challenge.

“We’re going to sign up for this challenge and you have to have the cooperation of the town, the school system and the library,” she said. “Which we’re very much all on board with this, so… very exciting.”

She said as we continue to live in an age where technology and simplicity are everything, it can also get more difficult to tell a reliable source from a not-so-reliable one. So, Hemminger said giving students easy library access can help expedite the research process.

“The world’s changing pretty quickly and research is important,” she said. “It’s important to know where your sources are coming from.”

Some of the work moving along with the challenge includes possibly “pre-approving” students for library cards or allowing them to use their student ID’s in place of library cards.

Hemminger also said the schools, town and library will be working together on a system so that resources can be accessed remotely, for those who don’t have access to transportation.

“There’ll be some training that has to go on with the school system and the library system and with teachers and students and so they’ll get it all figured out,” she said. “But they’re very excited about looking into this opportunity.”

The town will be submitting a letter signed by the library director, superintendent and mayor in the next week, accepting the challenge.