Santa Cruz Public Library (SCPL) recently partnered with Scotts Valley High School (SVHS) for a two-day library card drive.
A total of 534 high school students renewed or received new library cards over the course of the drive in March. SCPL librarians and SVHS staff and volunteers also educated students on all the free resources available to teens at the library.
“I am super excited to have a library card,” said Troy Westlund, a sophomore at Scotts Valley High School. “I had one when I was younger, but I lost it. I am glad to be able to rent books, tablets, ukuleles from the library.”
The Santa Cruz Public Library provides online and in-person educational resources and K-12 homework help. Students can access research databases, take practice tests, check out laptops or tablets, or join one of the teen-specific programs (like chess club or the diverse youth meetup).
“It was an incredibly energizing event. There were students who had never had a library card, students who hadn’t been to the library in years, and lots of students who were being introduced for the first time to all that a library has to offer them as students and as community members,” said Amanda Rotella, SCPL community relations specialist. “There was also a lot of particular excitement and interest in our loanable ukuleles.”