Library cards give you so much more than access to books. With virtual story times, audio books, read-along activities, e-books and other remote resources from the Wake County Public Libraries, kids are encouraged to keep reading and learning while they are home from school.

“What libraries do really well is we want to ease access. So, we are putting all the information in one place that parents can click on, and they can see what’s going on,” said Ann Burlingame, deputy library director of Wake County Public Libraries.

For new readers, the library’s read-alongs allow children to follow along as a librarian reads them a story. Also, an animated series of programs, called “Click, Watch, Learn,” focuses on reading, writing, playing, singing and talking, all skills that young children are working on.

The library began the Storytime Anytime program for toddlers, preschoolers and kids of all ages. Family friendly and bilingual stories are read by your favorite librarian via video.

“We started thinking about how children and families might miss seeing those librarians that they’ve become accustomed to seeing every week,” Burlingame said.

The first batch of videos was released on April 1.

“They have just been so popular, and we’ve gotten so many great responses that we decided to do a second series,” Burlingame said. The second set should be released this coming week.

For children grades K-5, the library is hosting a writing contest online, where kids can enter their creative  illustrations and stories of up to 1,000 words. Entries will be accepted through Thursday, April 30, and winners will be selected from each grade level. The winning stories will also be featured on the Wake County Public Library website and Facebook page.

“It is a great thing for children who have been out of school to do,” Burlingame said. “Children are so creative, and they love to write their stories. I think it’s a great experience if you’re trying to get your child to do something different and create something.”

So far, there have been 21 entries.

In addition to these programs, the libraries have been releasing literacy tips on Facebook to help make reading a fun part of play.

One tip goes as follows: If you’re at home with your child and you decide to build a fort, well, build a fort, get cozy and read a book together.

“We do feel strongly that there may be people who feel more comfortable continuing to use us remotely for a while, even when we are open. So, we are going to really focus on building on what we call our virtual library,” Burlingame said. “We don’t want to just try and survive; we are trying to thrive.”

For those without a library card, online registration for library cards is available here.