New Hanover County (NHC) Public Library and New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) have partnered on a new initiative called CLASS Project (Connecting Libraries and Schools for Success). Starting December 1, 2017, CLASS Project will provide more than 26,000 public school students with virtual library cards to enable easy access to library resources from home, school, and any NHC Public Library branch.
“This is a first for New Hanover County, and is a great collaboration between the public library and school system,” said County Manager Chris Coudriet. “CLASS Project will give students greater access to early literacy opportunities, provide free educational resources, and promote the progress of knowledge, benefitting students in pre-k all the way through high school.”
“This new initiative will assist the district in meeting our goals with students’ academic achievement and expanding their access to some excellent educational materials. We are excited about our students having these additional resources through this partnership between the NHC Public Library and NHCS,” Superintendent Dr. Tim Markley said.
Students enrolled in NHCS will automatically have public library accounts issued using their NHCS student ID numbers beginning December 1, 2017, allowing them to connect to the library’s website to access over 100 databases and eResources, and borrow up to two books, audiobooks, or magazines at a time.
A CLASS Project launch event will take place on Friday, December 1, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. in the Children’s Room at the Main Library, 201 Chestnut Street in Wilmington. Johnson Pre-K students will attend the event, which will begin with a short program featuring county and school leaders. The media is invited to attend.
