September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. A library card may be the most helpful piece of plastic you ever carry on your person; here are ten reasons why.

10. It’s a portal to knowledge. Whether you need to find information on driving laws or genealogy, the library’s got it.

9. It’s a great place to meet friends. Meeting with reading groups or people who are simply reading the same thing you are can be a lot of fun.

8. The children’s activities are awesome! At least the ones at our library are. There are dinosaur dances, beach parties and other fun games—all which include storytime and playtime with other kids.

7. It’s a great way to get involved with the community. Whether the library is holding a blood drive or voter registration, you can find all kinds of ways to become a part of your corner of the world there.

 6. Learn for free. Instead of taking expensive courses, sign up for a free library course. Many host computer classes and other fun and relevant classes.

5. Eat for free. Many libraries often offer snacks—if not daily, then for special events and programs. One year my daughter just about went nuts over all of the different kinds of cookies available when Santa was at the library!

4. Expand your world. Our library has a therapy dog come in for reading once a month, and hosts educational visits from the local science organizations. Why travel far away to these exhibits when you can see them for free, near home?

3.Rent movies for free. Skip the DVD rental store and get the latest movies for free—and for longer.

2. Get magazines for free. Why buy and kill a bunch of trees when you can read them at the library—and even check them out to read at home?

1. You get free books! Is there nothing better? One of my favorite things to do is to log online to my local library (there are three branches, one near my home) and create a list of books to reserve for my daughter and myself. I pick ten or so and then just wait for the call that will tell me when they’re ready. We pick them up and it’s like Christmas—or getting a shipment of books you’ve ordered from Amazon.com—only free! Sure, we have to take them back, but who needs to keep books when you’ve already read them—and there are so many more just waiting to be read?