The Most Important School Supply

September is a time when the American Library Association and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all. The observance was launched in 1987 to meet the challenge of then Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, who said: "Let's have a national campaign ... every child should obtain a library card - and use it." Since then, thousands of public and school libraries join each Fall in a national effort to ensure that every child does just that.


"Your library card is your ticket to a world of opportunities. Get it, and use it at your library."
~George Lopez, actor, comedian, author, and 2006 Library Card Sign-Up spokesperson