Reading is one of the most important skills a child can learn. It is something a child will take with them for the rest of their life, and it will help them in many facets that they face in the coming years of their education.

The Selma-Dallas County Public Library is doing a great job with its Welcome to Your Library program.

During the month of September, hundreds of first graders in Selma City schools and Dallas County schools will be introduced to their library and given a library card that will open up a whole new world to their young, expanding minds.

Many children grow up without being exposed to books or getting to ever check out a book from the library.

While just being introduced to the library and getting a library card may seem like a small gift, it can pay enormous dividends in the future.

Reading is a skill that everyone should have, and it is required in pretty much everything we do, whether it is reading a book, reading a street sign or just reading a recipe. Reading is everywhere, and the library is doing a great job of letting children in Selma and Dallas County know how important and fundamental it is in their young lives.

The program started this week with students from Cedar Park Elementary. The group of first graders listened to Selma City Schools Superintendent Angela Mangum read them before they were presented with their own library cards, a tool that can be useful to them forever.

Not only is the program introducing children to reading, it is also introducing them to community leaders, like superintendents and law enforcement officers. The program allows students to meet the people that guide their education and protect them.

We enjoyed seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of the children as they listened to Dr. Mangum and others read to them, and we hope to continue enjoying this program that has been going on for almost 15 years.

Between 650 and 700 first graders will go through the program this year, and we hope to see their smiling faces at the library every chance we get.