A new program launched last week will give Georgia's children 24-7 access to a huge digital library collection, and all a child needs to access the materials is a library card and a PIN number.
Lisa MacKinney, the Director of the Hall County Library System, said the new eRead Kids program gives children pre-K through 4th grade access to some 15,000 online books. She said the new statewide service will enhance the offerings of the local library.
"This is a great supplement to our existing e-book collection," MacKinney said. "We've had e-books and audio books for years, but this is a huge new collection that is available all over the state."
MacKinney said the biggest benefit to students is access to materials. Children will be able to log on to a home computer or tablet or smart phone to get the information they want, and there's no charge for the material. That includes no overdue fees.
"No worries on Mom or Dad's part about that ever...you can return [a book] early, but they're never going to accumulate any late fees," MacKinney said.
She said the service will also be a lifesaver for students who have a tendency to procrastinate or forget about a book assignment. Access to the eRead Kids collection is available around the clock.
The service also fills a gap for those kids who are voracious readers. MacKinney said she was one of those kids.
"My mother was great about taking me to the library, but it was hard to keep me in reading material, and there are still a lot of kids who have their own books and even an emergency supply of books, but with this service, you're never going to run out of anything to read," MacKinney said.
The Georgia state legislature funded eRead Kids this past session, and it will be administered through the Georgia Public Library System. All 407 public libraries in Georgia will be able to offer details on eRead Kids to their patrons.
The program launched August 1, 2019.
