Back in December, I announced that we would begin issuing membership cards to all members over age nine in 2019. It has taken us a little bit longer than we had hoped, but we are now ready to begin rolling out the cards, albeit slowly.

I admit that it’s a bit bittersweet for me personally, as I found it so charming that the Library didn’t rely on card identification when I was first hired here twelve years ago. But times have changed, and we feel that it will be welcomed by many who are frustrated having to spell their names each time they walk in or want to check out a book. The added benefit of the membership card project is that as we issue the cards, we’ll be making changes to your membership record so that every person in a household age nine and older will be able to check in to the Library and check out books under their own name, rather than that of their spouse or partner or parent.

Our plan is to roll out the cards over the course of the year. New members will receive cards upon joining and current members will receive theirs at renewal time.

We hope and expect that these will be welcome improvements. But if you do not want a membership card, that’s fine too! Just let any staff member know, or email Diane at membership@nysoclib.org directly. Likewise, if your renewal is not until end of year, and you’d like a card sooner, please just let us know. Membership card or not, we will continue to greet you by name and with the friendly welcome you expect.