The Summit School District, in partnership with the Summit County Library, will soon offer all students free library access with their student ID card.

“The ultimate goal is to provide every student access to all public library resources effectively to benefit the community, increasing literacy and educational success as a whole,” said Alyssa Giger, the district’s library information specialist. 

Through the partnership, students will gain free access to library resources at its Frisco, Silverthorne and Breckenridge branches. This will include books, 24/7 digital access to online learning tools such as the language and literacy software Rosetta Stone, more than 9,000 audiobooks through Hoopla, and over 15,000 films, documentaries and other educational video material through Kanopy.

“This has been such a dream for us,” said Stephanie Ralph, the county’s library director, who added that parents will be able to review materials so long as the students share their library login information with them. 

A specific launch date for the program has not yet been announced, though officials said they expect the rollout to come within the next few months. Summit Board of Education members praised the partnership, which had been years in the making, during a March 9 meeting.

“I think public education and public libraries are two of the amazing forces for literacy and learning in our country,” said board member Julie Shapiro. “It’s cool that we’re teaming up.”