CHICAGO — President Barack Obama hopes to give every Chicago Public Schools student a Chicago Public Library card.
The initiative, announced Thursday, is a new part of the White House's 2013 ConnectED campaign that focuses on better connecting children with their local libraries.
Chicago is one of 31 cities taking part nationwide, and it's an exciting move for the library and the city's children, said Brian Bannon, Chicago Public Library commissioner.
"What's exciting about this is that it’s the first public acknowledgement from the president and White House around the critical roles libraries play in kids' success and life," he said. The initiative is "laser-focused on deeper relationships between schools and libraries."
About one million Chicagoans already use the library at least once a month, and many of them are kids and families, Bannon said.
"Many, if not most, of CPS school kids have library cards," he said. "This would be an extra push to make it across the board."
The goal to get every kid a library card may take several years, Bannon said, and he's hopeful CPS and the library could work out a way to automatically give students a Chicago Public Library card when they enroll in school.
The new ConnectED library initiative also focuses on expanding internet access in libraries, encouraging critical thinking through programming for children and providing access to e-books and other digital resources.
The Chicago Public Library has already made strides in those areas, Bannon said. For example, a pilot program began earlier this year to lend out internet hotspots, computers and tablets.
The city's Summer Learning Challenge, which encourages children to hit reading goals during the summer months, returns June 8th, Bannon said.
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