My first library card – how to apply for a library card for your child

It comes as no surprise that I love books and so, a library is my ultimate hangout. There is something about about seeing the organised book spines, row upon row, waiting to be discovered that fills me with utter joy.

I love the oak smell of old books and to turn the crisp pages of a new book.

My older children grew up in our local libraries. We would visit weekly, do research for homeschool projects , join story times and holiday programs.  We bought old books to fill our homes from the libraries discarded stock and sometimes we just visited the library because we needed to be surrounded by books.

This time around

Although Hamish has visited the library a few times, Covid happened at the age where I would normally have joined the library for him resulting in him not having a library card.

Now, I’ve been saying for about a year , how I must go get him one and each month passes and we were still no closer to joining our local library.

But

Today was the day !

My first library card

We finished school today and grabbed all the required documents, jumped into the car and popped down to our library.

Our library is relatively large with a decent sized children’s section which Hamish fell in love with as soon as he saw it.

I stood filling in forms, while he browsed the shelves and I could hear him reading out loud from Jack and the Bean stalk.

A few minutes minutes later, he was the proud owner of his own library card and had chosen his first 10 books to check out.

Nancy, the wonderful librarian, realizing the importance of such a special occasion made such a big effort to welcome him to the library, explain how a library works, and how to care for books.

The smile on his face was huge and as he jumped into the car to show off his book selection I heard him carry on reading Jack and the Beanstalk to himself.

There is something so magical when a child can read by themselves and loves to read.

How to get a library card for your child

In South Africa it is free to belong to any public library.

• You will need to take
• Your ID
• Your Child’s ID
• Proof of residence
• You also need to give 2 references of people who do not live with you

After doing this, you complete a form and are issued with a laminated, barcode library card.

Libraries may differ on how many books and resources you can borrow at a time and for how long.