September 3, 2024 By The Hingham Public Library
September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, so what better time to remind everyone of the benefits of a Hingham Public Library card! After all, libraries are the easiest thing in the world to promote: we offer free access to physical and digital books, audiobooks, movies, music, and events for all ages, a huge selection of technology, toys, games, and puzzles, and no more late fees!
We also have dozens of online resources you can access from home, ranging from investment tools like Valueline and Morningstar, test and career guides from Peterson’s, language learning tools, online access to Ancestry.com, Consumer Reports, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and discounted museum passes, all provided to you by having an active library card.
And speaking of museum passes, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum recently changed the way they offer museum passes to libraries. They no longer ask us to pay an annual fee for a discounted pass membership, rather they simply give discounted admission to any Massachusetts resident who can show them their library card. The JFK Library clearly understands the importance of public libraries, and thus places value on being a card-carrying member, supporting the kind of education, enlightenment, and entertainment we provide to the public, every day.
The curious thing is that, in a town of over 24,000 people, less than half of eligible Hingham residents have a Hingham Library card. We get it, life is busy, many of us feel pulled in five directions most of the time. But the reason many people value their local library is that we encompass all the interests and ideals of our community, and these can all be accessed and explored by simply having a library card. If you already have a card, fantastic! You already know all the wonderful things we have to offer. So maybe you can help spread the word and tell two friends about the library, and maybe they’ll tell two friends, and so on!
If it sounds like we’re trying to guilt you into getting a library card, maybe we are. We just want every Hingham resident to visit the library this fall, and if you don’t already have one, sign up for a library card. Because in a wallet full of credit cards, rewards cards, and insurance cards, there’s only one that represents a place where residents of all ages can come and gather to study, catch up with friends, find a great book to read, or borrow the movie you can’t wait to show your kids for the first time. It’s a place where parents bring their young children to learn the joys of reading, just like they did when their own parents brought them through our doors a few decades before. It’s a place where everyone is welcome, and we welcome everyone.
With a list of member benefits a mile long, and always 0% interest, a Hingham Public Library card is the only card you need.
We hope to see you soon!