Washington, DC

Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser joined President Obama at Anacostia Library where the President announced the next phase of his ConnectED initiative. The ConnectED Library Challenge is a commitment by more than 30 communities, including Washington, DC, to put a library card into every student’s hand so they will have access to the learning resources and books they can read for pleasure, all available in America’s libraries.  

Starting in the 2015-2016 school year, students at DC Public Schools and DC Public Charter Schools will be pre-registered for public library accounts that are linked to their DC One Cards. The DC One Card is a consolidated credential designed to give students access to DC public schools, libraries, recreation centers and Metro.
 
“Having students pre-registered for library cards eliminates the need to go through an additional registration process at their local branches and allows them to make immediate use of the Library’s physical and online collections. Washington, DC, is proud to participate in President Obama’s ConnectED initiative which expands learning opportunities to students across the country,” said Mayor Bowser. “Access to the library system’s rich collection of books, music, magazines, ebooks and more will give students the tools they need to expand their minds and open up new pathways to the middle class later in life.”

“The Library constantly looks for ways to remove barriers to reading so that our children can thrive in school and in life,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of the DC Public Library. “Library card ownership is the gateway to a universe of resources in print and online. The Library looks forward to accepting the ConnectED Library challenge to strengthen our impact on District students.”