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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

Since 1987, Library Card Sign-Up Month has been held every September to coincide with students returning to school. Students will need books to do their various reports and research projects, the thinking goes, and libraries have plenty of books that can help with that, but do people need to be reminded about what a library card is only during September? The Library has books that are useful all year round.

The Library has books for all seasons beyond the transitional period we’re currently occupying. With the passing of Labor Day, people see the eventual trading of flip-flops for flannels as the air outside starts to bite with a chill. What better way to warm your bones than a hot meal? Try “4-Step Soup Recipes” (641.813 Four) for some satisfying soups or crawl under a blanket and sip on a hot beverage from the book “Winter Cocktails: Mulled Ciders, Hot Toddies, Punches, Pitchers, and Cocktail Party Snacks” (641.874 Saca). These warm feelings can go through winter by invoking the Danish way of coziness in “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living” (158.1 Wiki).

The Library can also get people outside when the weather warms up. When spring comes, and your hibernation ends, cardholders can partake of our seed program, and we have books to help your garden grow. Learn about growing vegetables with books like “Backyard Harvest” (635 Whit) or beautify your yard with “Better Homes and Gardens Home Landscaping: Plants, Projects, and Ideas for Your Yard” (635.9 Bett). And when summer returns in all its glowing, sun-kissed glory, find some excuses to go outside. Fire up the grill and check out “Weber’s New Real Grilling: The Ultimate Cookbook for Every Backyard Griller” (641.5784 Purv) for some great recipes to try. You can even go beyond the boundaries of your yard and tour bourbon country with “Kentucky Bourbon Country: The Essential Travel Guide” (K 338.4 Reig) as your guide. Too hot to go outside? Through services like Hoopla, AcornTV, and Kanopy (along with your four-digit pin number), a library card can bring you all sorts of novels, movies, and albums that you can download and enjoy on your favorite device.

To clarify, I’m not advocating abolishing Library Card Sign-Up Month or arguing that it’s obsolete. However, there are plenty of opportunities, plenty of months that aren’t September, to tell people about all the benefits of a library card, so feel free to tell people about what a library card can do all throughout the year. And feel free to tell them about these and other library programs that don’t even need a card.

The Library’s writing workshop, Write Local, meets Friday, September 16 and 30, from 10-11:30 a.m. on Zoom. Participants read works in progress, discussion follows. We meet on Zoom because manuscripts can be easily screen-shared, and out-of-town and out-of-state visitors can attend. For more information or to receive a Zoom invitation, contact Adult Services Librarian, John Maruskin, 859-744-5661, ext. 110 or email at john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.

Adult Dungeons & Dragons begins Saturday, September 17, 2-4 p.m., and meets monthly. Come to the Library for an adventure in far-off fantastical lands. Create your character. Choose which adventure you want to enjoy. Roll your initiative. Choose your destiny. For more information about this program, contact James Gardner at 859-744-5661 or email at james.clarkbooks@gmail.com.