The Selma and Dallas County Public Library is preparing for a busy September full of first graders, forgiven late fees and the kick off to the Lunch at the Library series.

“We are thrilled. We had such a fantastic summer, and it was such a great success that we are just eager to see a new season begin,” said library director Becky Nichols. “September is one our most favorite times because it is the advent of library card month. We are inviting everybody to come to the library and get a card if you don’t have one, or in the case of our brand new first graders, we’ll be bussing 600 new little members through the month of September.”

Each year, the library welcomes all of the first graders in Selma and Dallas County to receive their own library card.

“The bright yellow buses will roll up every hour, the kids will come in and they’ll get a library card which, goes home to 600 homes in Selma and Dallas County and hopefully enriches the lives of those people,” Nichols said.

Throughout the entire month, the library will have their Fine Free Month, this time supporting the Christian Outreach Alliance Food Pantry and Humane Society of Central Alabama. Anyone with overdue books can bring a bag of dog or cat food, under 10 pounds, to the library and all of their fines will be forgiven, no matter the cost.

“For those people that are possibly hoarding overdue books, we invite them to use this great opportunity to clear their fines, it doesn’t matter what you owe or how great your fine,” Nichols said. “You’re going to contribute to those families in our community that are unable to buy food for their pets.”

Kelsi Fails, a junior at Southside High School and student assistant at the library has plans to be a veterinarian one day, and says she is excited to be able to help the animals while also helping people.

“This is important to me because I feel like by giving back to our community, we can also help our four-legged friends and give them the love that they give to us every day,” Fails said.

“I’m really excited [to work at the library] mainly because I want to get to know the people in our community and I’m really excited about the cause because I just love animals so much.”

Closing out September is the kick off to the Lunch at the Library series.

“The Lunch at the Library series starts on Sept. 28 with a great book called ‘Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee’ written by Auburn scholar Wayne Flynt,” Nichols said. “It’s a compilation of her correspondence with Dr. Flynt over the years and she told him he could not publish any of these memoirs until after her death.”

Overall, Nichols said she is just excited to see September get here and start a new season at the library.

“We are excited about a full blown wonderful month that we are eager to invite everyone to attend,” Nichols said.