Harlem Library

September is Library Card Sign-up month! Use this opportunity to take advantage of all your local library has to offer. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Library Card Sign-up Month, a national observance that was launched to ensure everyone can obtain a library card.

Your library supports literacy through its children programs including Storytime, After School Squad and Lego Club. Summer Reading makes sure literacy skills remain sharp over the summer break. The library also hosts the "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" program. Studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.

The library also offers a variety of programs to stimulate an interest in reading including a monthly Book Challenge and The Book Club, a book discussion group for adults.

Your library is also a technology hub providing free internet and digital content. Free ebooks, audio books, and magazines are available on MontanaLibrary2Go. The library also has devices such as tablets, laptops, Hotspots, and Wonderbooks for use inside the library and for check out.

To obtain a Harlem Public Library card please stop at the front desk with a current photo ID. When you register you must provide a working phone number and mailing address. Your card will be mailed to you after which you may use your card to check out one item the first time. After that you may have regular privileges. You must be 16 to apply for a library card.

Preschool children may check out materials under their parents'/legal guardians' card. Students under the age of 16 may apply for a card with a parent/legal guardian present who has a current photo ID.

Libraries are America's great information equalizers – the only place people of all ages and backgrounds can find and freely use such a diversity of resources, along with the expert guidance of librarians.

The Book Challenge for September is to read a book that includes a map.

During September you may "Buy a Bag O'Books." Fill a grocery sack full of used books and purchase it for only one dollar!

New books this week include suspense thrillers "The Hidden One" by Linda Castillo, "Shattered" by James Patterson, and "Listen to Me" by Tess Gerritsen.

"The Art of Teaching Children" by Phillip Done is "an essential guide for teachers and parents" that offers "inspiration, humor, and tales of humanity."

Dani Pettrey is the author of "The Deadly Shadows," book three in the Coastal Guardians series.