Happy National Library Card Sign-up Month! Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. Libraries across the United States make a coordinated effort to ensure that every child is able to sign up for their own library card so they can access free educational apps, homework help, book recommendations, programs, and more.

In fact, a library card is one of the most cost-effective back-to-school supplies available! How much money can you save? Every time you check out at a Delaware County District Library, look at the bottom of your receipt. Each book, DVD, magazine, board game, video game, or other library material that you check out has a value assigned to it, which is then calculated, added, and reflected as your grand total savings amount for the year on your receipt. We love seeing those totals add up!

Interested in trying a new hobby? The library can help. This month alone the Delaware County District Library will host classes in our Maker Studio on engraving and heat pressing designs; we will engage green thumbs in a native plant swap the week of Sept. 11; and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to discover a new reading genre with the introduction of the Romance Readers Book Club on Sept. 13 and the Friends of the Library Bargain Book Sale on Sept. 15 and 16. Visit www.delawarelibrary.org/event to get more details on any of these programs if they interest you.

Thinking about starting or growing a small business? The Delaware County District Library offers free access to helpful research websites like Morningstar Investment Research Center and the Small Business Reference Center. The Small Business Reference Center has everything to get your small businesses started, from a “how-to” on writing a business plan to example forms like profit and loss forecasts.

There’s something for everyone at DCDL, and signing up for a library card is the first step on the path to academic achievement and lifelong learning. DCDL continues to adapt and expand services to meet the evolving needs of our community. To sign up for a library card or to learn more about the Library’s resources and programs, please visit www.delawarelibrary.org/librarycard.

Now that it’s September, perhaps the promise of fall has you dreaming of cozying up and reading a mystery. Here are the newest mysteries on the shelves at your library.

• “The Poisoner’s Ring” by Kelley Armstrong. Modern-day Canadian homicide detective Mallory Atkinson was attacked while visiting Scotland; she awoke in the body of a Victorian housemaid employed by medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray. In this 2nd series entry, Mallory helps Gray hunt a clever poisoner murdering husbands and framing their wives. The latest widow and murder suspect? Gray’s own sister. Creatively combining mystery, romance, and fantasy, this sequel to “A Rip Through Time” can also be read on its own.

• “The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies” by Alison Goodman. Meet witty, brave 42-year-old spinster twins, Lady Augusta and Lady Julia Colebrook, who live in 1812 London. Three interlinked stories depict the sisters’ adventures as they solve mysteries and problems for women and girls in trouble, sometimes aided by a handsome disgraced nobleman.

• “Evergreen” by Naomi Hirahara. After being held in a Japanese-American internment camp, Aki Nakasone returns to a much-changed 1946 Los Angeles. Working as an aide at the Japanese hospital, she asks questions about an abused elderly man, which leads to a murder she feels compelled to solve. This atmospheric follow-up to the award-winning “Clark and Division” combines memorable characters and little-known L.A. history into a moving mystery.

• “Death Comes to Marlow” by Robert Thorogood. Following the events of “The Marlow Murder Club,” 78-year-old Judith and her friends Suzie and Becks are at it again. This time, they unravel what happened at a party the day before a wedding when the elderly groom-to-be was crushed to death in his locked study. Fun fact – author Robert Thorogood also created the popular BBC TV series “Death in Paradise.”

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [email protected]. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!