SALINE COUNTY, Ark. — From improving children's health to improving their reading skills, the Saline County Library is working on ways to get books into the hands and heads of children.
As Arkansas works to boost reading scores across the state, Saline County Library has come up with the 'Power of the Card' campaign.
"We've gotten the community involved,” said Kari Beesley, the library’s spokesperson. “We asked them to provide a discount to everyone who shows them a library card."
Stephania Andrews is new to the library and she has a goal to better help her children read.
"It’s fun for my kids,” said Andrews.
The purpose of Power of the Card is to get more people like Andrews inside the library because 63% of third-graders in central Arkansas are below reading level.
Numerous businesses have joined the fight to get kids to read more.
"So, a lot of the discounts are 10% off, but some are like free cookies, a discount tattoo. It’s pretty cool," said Beesley. "People want to go get their discounts and then they walk in here and they are like, 'this isn't what I thought a library is.'"
Beesley said library cards hold more power than before because once kids make their way inside the library, they'll see times have changed and find more interactive and fun ways to improve their reading skills.
"We have things like 'Brain Fuse,' where you don't have to pay for a tutor because we are paying for a tutor for you,” said Beesley. “We do scavenger hunts, which is a team-building exercise, but it also helps them with reading and problem-solving."
The library gets about 150 cards per month, but during September's Power of the Card Campaign, it’s on track to get 450 cards this month.
More than 70 businesses are on board with the library.
For a full list of discount opportunities, you can head to the Saline County Library website.