Santa Barbara Public Library activates thousands of library cards for SBUSD students
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Public Library activated over 6,000 new Student Success Library Cards for students within the Santa Barbara Unified School District this week.
As schools have been transitioning to virtual instruction during the pandemic, digital resources have become more in demand than ever.
Santa Barbara Public Library offers digital content from numerous programs including:
- Overdrive provides access to digital ebooks and audiobooks,
- Hoopla Digital offers ebooks, digital audiobooks, movies, TV shows, and comics,
- Mango provides access to language-learning software,
- RBDigital offers access to The New York Times and digital magazines,
- Enki provides access to online test prep materials,
- Various other resources are listed here
SBPL has also been working with SBUSD for the past several months to create a simple way for students to access library materials, including checking out books or accessing the library's digital collections.
The library said parents and guardians are able to opt-in at enrollment to have their student’s ID number function as a library card. Students then wouldn't need a physical card, only their ID number to access materials.
“Santa Barbara Public Library curates resources to support education, from read-alongs for emerging readers to test prep books and study guides for high school students. The Student Success partnership allows students to access resources that would otherwise not be available, and gives teachers more tools to supplement research needs or to support independent reading projects,” said Library Director Jessica Cadiente. “With in-person classes suspended, digital resources like those Santa Barbara Public Library offers become even more critical in ensuring our student’s success.”
More information about the Student Success Library Cards can be found on the library's website.
The Santa Barbara Public Library is also offering to mail books to homes through a program called SBPL Delivers! Students with the new Student Success Cards are eligible for this service.
Currently, the Library is working with SBUSD to allow parents or caregivers the ability to opt-in at any time so cards can be automatically activated.
Santa Barbara Public Library hopes to expand the program to include partnerships with other public school districts in the service area, including Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria.
For more information about the library, visit their website here. All library services are free and open to the public.
