Highland library to implement ‘Cards for Kids’ program. But potential pitfalls exist

UPDATE MAY 25, 2022: Original remarks in this article from library board member Joshua Short may have given the impression he is opposed to the Illinois Cards for Kids program. Short’s comments, however, were intended to guide libraries to find ways to implement the program without shaming low-income families, not in opposition to the program itself. The article has been updated to reflect this.

A new state program will allow kids outside the city limits to get free library cards, just in time for the summer reading program.

The “Cards for Kids” program passed by the Illinois state legislature allowed children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade who were under the age of 18 to get a library card for free if they qualified for free or reduced lunch under the state income guidelines, according to Angela Kim, library director at the Louis Latzer Public Library in Highland.

While city residents get a free library card because their tax dollars support the municipal library, people who live outside the city limits can only get one for a fee. It’s either a sliding scale based on the resident’s property values, or they can pay the average cost charged to city taxes, which comes out to about $85, Kim said.

Under the new program, young people who live outside the city limits don’t need to pay the fee in order to access the library. But the idea has some stumbling blocks.

“That brings up a lot of issues with privacy,” Kim said. “The school doesn’t want to tell us who’s on free and reduced lunch.”

Families also were often reluctant to bring in salary information to qualify for a free library card.

Joshua Short is a member of the Latzer Library board and on the Illinois Heartland Library System board of directors. He wrote a column in March about the program, comparing the Cards for Kids program with “lunch shaming” where kids who did not have enough money for lunch saw their meals thrown away.

“Growing up I was a reduced-lunch kid,” Short wrote. “Every day I had to take my 40 cents to the school office to pick up a weathered little green plastic chip, which I would then give to the cafeteria cashier for my meal. I remember the intense shame I felt walking this path, a daily routine which every single classmate and teacher knew was the poor kid parade.”

Short called Cards for Kids a “good program that has the potential to be executed poorly.”

“Remember that there is a stigma to living in poverty and that most people are reluctant to take advantage of programs that require them to disclose their financial situations,” he said, adding that requiring library workers to process financial paperwork is overly burdensome to the staff.

“I feel that the program and the newer law which gives all kids under 18 access to a library is a great idea. The program itself is not shaming. The potential for shaming comes from the how the library implements the program.”

‘We really do want everyone to have access’

Last week, the state proceeded with modifying the program to allow all public school students under 18 to get a card, regardless of income, Kim said. It is still going through various committees at the legislature, but Kim expects it will be adopted.

“We really do want everyone to have access,” she said. “We don’t want to deny access if you don’t have the funds.”

But Kim hopes at some point there will be some additional funding for the libraries as the out-of-district cards bring in a few thousand dollars per year. And those will be purchased less often if the kids of the family can get their own cards for free.

Meanwhile, the Latzer Library has now eliminated late fines for any materials listed as juvenile.

“If it’s late, we waive the fine,” Kim said. “We will eventually send you a bill if you don’t bring the book back, but ... late fines block access for some of the kids who need it the most. We felt it was a worthy thing to do.”

Summer plans at library, ‘safe haven’

The library is also kicking off its summer reading program called “Camp iRead” with a field day Friday, June 3. Special events, programs and games will take place all summer, including guest authors, arts and crafts, live music, magic and puppet shows. A library card is not required to participate in the summer reading program. For more information, visit the library’s site.

Short called the library a “safe haven” while growing up in an impoverished home, which is why he chooses to be involved in the Latzer Library.

“It is my hope that, with careful, thoughtful implementation, the Cards for Kids Act will provide the same opportunity for safety, learning and equality without becoming another little green chip,” he said. “With your help, an inclusive, shame-free environment where children can discover all that their library can offer them is possible.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 1:36 PM.