Two book lovers lingering on Denison’s sleepy campus for the summer months need library cards, right? 

Between hours of research and weekly interviews with locals, my friend Sarah Sollinger and I fill our time lounging in the sun with a good book, a luxury us college students can only truly enjoy during summer vacation. But we can only cram so many books in our dorm room at a time. 

So, we set out on a mission on a rainy Friday afternoon. 

We were prepared to beg, barter, or steal to acquire the small piece of library-issued laminated plastic we so desired. As out-of-towners, we didn’t know the protocol for procuring the coveted ticket to endless worlds beyond Granville. 

But, to our delight, it was the simplest task! 

It only took our names, addresses, and phone numbers to unlock free and unlimited access to the literary joys on the library shelves. 

The cards read, “So Much To Discover.”

As we perused fiction, mystery, and romance, I thought back to my first library card, which I got in the first grade. It had a frog on it. It was my first love. 

We left that afternoon with two books each and pep in our step: We had library cards. It felt like winning the lottery. 

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