Student Success Cards for All
Library cards help children succeed. The State Library is working with schools and libraries to help make sure every California student has a library card by the third grade. We encourage school districts and public libraries to work together to provide California students with everything that their libraries have to offer, and we provide resources and technical assistance to help libraries create partnerships and Student Success programs.
Please reach out to the State Library team at studentsuccess@library.ca.gov with any questions.
What is a Student Success Card?
Student Success cards give students access to books and online resources from their public library, free of charge, through partnerships with local school districts. Typically, California public libraries offer one of three types of Student Success cards:
- Full Card: A full library card gives students all the privileges of a traditional library card, including internet access and online resources.
- Starter Card: A starter library card allows students limited borrowing access and/or access to online resources.
- Digital Card: A digital library card allows students to access the library’s electronic resources but does not allow them to borrow any physical materials.
Resources
We encourage public libraries to use these resources to develop local Student Success programs.
Guides for Libraries
- Getting Started
- Sustaining Partnerships (forthcoming)
- Describing Program Impact (forthcoming)
- Collecting Data and Reporting (forthcoming)
Successful Student Success Card Partnership Programs
- The Los Angeles Public Library, in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, has already distributed over 50,000 Student Success cards to students of all ages.
- The Sacramento Public Library and local school districts have partnered to enable students to use their student ID number as a public library card to access Sacramento Public Library’s digital collection and resources for free.
- The Santa Ana Public Library provides a student success card to students of Santa Ana Unified School District (PDF) and promotes their resource in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
- The Napa County Library partners with the Napa Valley Unified School District to provide a “Student OneCard,” allowing students to borrow up to five physical items and access all of the public library’s digital resources.
Background
New California legislation signed by the Governor in October 2023 — SB 321 (Ashby) — makes it easier for libraries to put Student Success cards into the hands of every California child who wants one. We can provide students with the best possible chance for success inside and outside the classroom through partnerships between libraries and schools.
The legislation asks the State Library to:
- Offer resources to assist public libraries and schools in finding strategies that work best for their communities.
- Coordinate with public libraries to determine the most effective means to ensure each student is issued a Student Success card by third grade.
- Ensure that partnerships between public libraries and schools have been established to issue Student Success cards.
The research is clear: third grade reading achievement can be a make-or-break milestone for student success. Those who can’t read proficiently by the third grade will struggle to keep pace with their peers.
Parents know how important libraries are to their children. Libraries are welcoming spaces where students can check out books and access reliable online resources to improve literacy and build important critical thinking skills. Parents value libraries because they provide their children with information and resources that are not available at home.
California has over 8,000 K-12 public schools, and over 1,000 public libraries. With one teacher librarian for every 10,000 students, California schools often do not have adequate library resources for students. Public libraries help to fill the gap by serving as safe places for students after school, providing homework help or other online resources, and by helping prevent summer learning loss. By working together to put library cards in the hands of students who need them, schools and libraries can improve outcomes for students in every part of our state.