In 1902, a small brick building went up in downtown Bozeman, paid for in part by a grant from Andrew Carnegie, one of over 2,500 libraries he funded across the country. The idea behind those grants was almost radical for its time: that a person’s access to books and ideas shouldn’t depend on their income. You didn’t need money. You needed a library card.
Every September, libraries nationwide mark Library Card Sign-Up Month, and while the name suggests it’s about getting a card, it’s really a good moment to notice everything that card has been quietly doing for you all along.
A place that’s always been for everyone
Bozeman’s library moved a couple of times since that first Carnegie building, first to Lamme Street in 1981, then in 2006 to its current home on the old Milwaukee Road rail yard. What didn’t move was the idea behind it. From the start, this was meant to be a place anyone could walk into, whether you were there for a novel, a job search, or somewhere warm to sit for an afternoon. No one checks your income at the door.
Everything your card gets you
You probably already use your card for books. But it also gets you audiobooks, movies, and shows, plus streaming from home, wifi and computers, and research databases you’d otherwise pay for. There are story times and summer programs for kids, and book clubs, cooking and nutrition classes, and technology classes for adults. If it’s been a while since you’ve looked at the Program Guide (LINK), this is a good month to take another look.
Pass it forward
You’ve got a card. Chances are someone in your life doesn’t, a neighbor, a new coworker, a college kid new to town. September’s an easy excuse to mention it to them. It costs nothing to pass along, and it might be exactly what they didn’t know they needed.
