Library cards are an important school supply

Today's kids are well-outfitted to head back to school. Parents make sure their kids have the gear they need for all of their activities - new backpacks and binders for a new school year, uniforms for soccer, and safety helmets for bike riding - but they might have overlooked the most important school supply of all: a public library card.

A Santa Rosa County Library card gives kids free access to online Live Homework Help, interactive test preparation from Learning Express, and materials to research their papers or information for their next book report. It can also help make life after school more fun, with free access to music, DVDs, the Internet and more.

Students can search the library catalog from any Internet connection 24 hours a day, seven days a week by connecting to the library's Web site. With a library card, students can request that materials such as books, CDs, and DVDs be sent to their home library and see a list of materials they have checked out, along with due dates.

Your library card allows access to select electronic resources (e-sources) available at the Santa Rosa County Library web site. E-sources offer comprehensive, accurate, and reliable information for homework and research that you can't get anywhere else on the web. Available resources include electronic magazines, newspapers, almanacs, encyclopedias, and books, providing information on topics such as current events, education, business, technology, and health issues.

Back to school is the perfect time to make sure kids are equipped with a library card. Make sure your kids gear up for school by signing up for a library card at your local library or online at www.santarosa.fl.gov/libraries. No matter how crammed the backpack - or your family's schedule - there's always room for a library card.