First Things First: First-Class Service for 1st Graders On eight
school-day mornings every September, school buses pull into the
Selma–Dallas County (Ala.) Public Library every hour starting at
9 a.m., unloading 40–50 bubbling 1st graders. They line up
excitedly outside the door and then head in for one of the
library’s best programs for kids. “Welcome to Your Library” has
been welcoming 1st-graders for eight years in an effort to bring
reading into the homes of more than 700 boys and girls who have
just started school. The youngsters head up the steps to the
Children’s Department, bright with primary colors—and enlivened
with a hamster, an aquarium, stuffed animals, and animal
posters. Preparation for the arrival of each 1st-grade class
during National Library Card Sign-Up Month in September began
weeks ago. Librarians worked with the class rolls, and each
child’s first library card was readied for the big day. Kids
settle down and the big moment comes as the teacher calls out
each name and every 1st grader