A special new library card has been launched to encourage parents of the city help their children’s love of reading take flight!
Liverpool City Council’s Libraries and Information Services, in partnership with Edge Hill University, launches the My First Library Card for children aged up to 10 featuring a friendly liver bird design created by the council’s marketing team.
Sponsored by Edge Hill University, the My First Library Cards have been developed as part of Liverpool’s Year of Reading, and will be available from Monday 28 September.
To sign their little ones up to the library, parents or carers can either:
- Sign up online. My First Library Cards will automatically be sent out to young new joiners. Cards can also be collected.
- Visit a library taking along proof of name and address (utility bill, bank statement). Please note: not all of Liverpool’s libraries have reopened. For up-to-date information please visit www.liverpool.gov.uk/libraryupdates. Central Library is currently open Monday-Friday, 10am-3pm.
The cards will not only let children borrow books from any of Liverpool’s 19 libraries, but by using the card’s number along with a PIN young borrowers can also borrow any of the thousands of titles from Read Liverpool – www.readliverpool.co.uk – the city’s digital library.
Digital books can be accessed using many types of devices including iPads and some types of Kindle.
Read Liverpool has seen the number of digital books borrowed as well as the number of digital borrowers double since Liverpool’s libraries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in March.
Cllr Barbara Murray, cabinet member for Education, Employment and Skills, and Liverpool’s Year of Reading lead said:
“We’re delighted to be launching the My First Library Card on Monday.
“One of our main commitments during the city’s Year of Reading has not only been to improve literacy in the city, but to encourage children to love reading as early as possible which will not only bring joy throughout their lives but will unlock knowledge, opportunities and give them confidence as they grow up.
“We’re slowly reopening our community libraries but that doesn’t mean that youngsters can’t get their hands on thousands of brilliant titles through the digital library. We’ve seen the number of books borrowed as well as the number of borrowers double since lockdown and we’ve been adding lots of new titles for everyone over the last six months.”
You can follow what’s happening in the Year of Reading by visiting the project’s website, join its Facebook page – www.facebook.com/2020LiverpoolYearofReading/ – or search #LiverpoolReads on social media.
