There are many important activities recognized during September.

One, of course, is the Labor Day holiday, which we just celebrated. Another occurs a little more than a week from now, on Patriot Day, when we remember the lives lost in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

September also is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and local libraries are encouraging area residents who don’t already have the credential to register for one.

According to the American Library Association, 66 percent of Americans have a library card. The simple item can open up a world of possibilities, from access to a countless number of books to use of computers and the internet. Patrons of any of the facilities that are a part of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County system are able to use their card to borrow museum passes, use musical instruments and even check out a ghost hunting kit.

It all fits with the association’s slogan for the month, One Card, Endless Possibilities.

Since the month was started in 1987, according to the library association, honorary chairs have included Pittsburgh Steeler greats Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu.

To help call attention to the doors a library card can open, the PLSJC is holding a Books and Bites activity.

Each week, participants will travel to an area restaurant or business where they will discuss a book and dine — at their own expense — on food pertaining to the business’s title. Stops will include Tri B’s Coffee Shop in Toronto, the Laurels of Steubenville, Harp and Habit in Franciscan Square, A Touch of Elegance in the Fort Steuben Mall and Scaffidi’s Restaurant and Tavern in Hollywood Plaza.

Also during the month, card holders will be able to receive a discount on certain items at Fresh Twist in Steubenville, Gem City Pizza in Toronto, the Dairy Queen in Rayland and Valley Wine Center in Wintersville. For information about any of the activities or events, call (740) 282-9782.

The Brooke County Public Libraries in Follansbee and Wellsburg, meanwhile, will be forgiving overdue fines on materials that have been returned or will be returned on the day of a patron’s visit, officials explained.

Libraries remain a powerful resource, places where patrons can find information that makes their lives — and the lives of their family members and their communities — richer. And all it takes to be able to access all of that knowledge is a library card.