More U-46 students carrying plastic

An increasing number of Elgin Area School District U-46 students are learning the value of carrying plastic.

District officials are reporting that 8,000, about one-fifth of U-46's 41,000 students, signed up for a library card in October.

The impetus for the signup was a "Library Card Challenge," by Superintendent Jose Torres that encourages every student to carry a card.

"Visiting classrooms, I've seen students put their library cards on their desks, or sort of flash them, trying to get me to notice that they have one," Torres said.

The challenge is a timely one for the state's second largest school district.

Recently released 2008 state report cards revealed a drop in reading scores for students at the district's elementary and high school levels. Middle school scores rose slightly.

The challenge was advertised in schools, and at the six libraries within district boundaries: Elgin's Gail Borden Public Library, the Bartlett Public Library, the Poplar Creek Public Library in Streamwood, the St. Charles Public Library, the West Chicago Public Library, and the Carol Stream Public Library.

After issuing more than 3,000 cards in the last six weeks, Gail Borden has run out of library cards and had to order more, director of communications Denise Raleigh said.

"In the meantime, we're printing out little business cards and taping a bar code on the back," she said. "It's fantastic to have this kind of quandary."

Bartlett Public Library issued nearly 1,300 library cards last month, nearly 3 times as many as October of last year.

More than 800 new cards were issued at Poplar Creek Library in Streamwood, officials said.

As a reward for having all 525 students register for a card, Sycamore Trails Elementary School in Bartlett will receive $250 worth of new library books and a pizza party.

After Sycamore Trails, the schools that had the highest per capita response were Centennial Elementary and Eastview Middle School in Bartlett; Coleman, Creekside and Lowrie Elementary in Elgin; and Clinton Elementary in South Elgin.