Staff Report
A new way to obtain an official identification card that also offers access to El Paso Library resources is now available for EPCC students. The card may be acquired at a mobile service table hosted by El Paso Library staff every Thursday through October at the Jenna Welch & Laura Bush Community Library on the Northwest Campus.
Called the Enhanced Library Card (ELC), it is a credential featuring the cardholder's name, photograph, and pertinent personal details, and grants access to an impressive array of resources available to El Paso Library customers.
Beyond that, according to Conrad C. Orozco, El Paso Library Outreach and Engagement Services Supervisor, it may serve as supplementary identification when presented alongside other official documents for identity verification purposes. Orozco suggests double-checking with organizations to determine acceptance and conditions under which the Enhanced Library Card may be used for verification.
“For various official processes such as opening a bank account, employment city, and county services, students are required to present two forms of official IDs,” said Professor Lorely Ambriz, NWC Head Librarian. “Most of the time, they only have either a passport or a Texas ID, given the high cost of passports, and this can serve as the second ID,” Ambriz added.
The El Paso Public Library-EPCC partnership has been going on for 21 years as the Jenna Welch Laura Bush Community Library, according to Ambriz. “We have full book collections for all babies, children, and youth and various programs year-round, including a three-week summer program with 40 different classes,” she said.
For now, only the NWC Library will be offering the supplemental enhanced library card ID service.
“We will be the only EPCC Library offering it because of the already established partnership, and we are considered a branch of the public library to serve the county, such as Canutillo, Westway, and Anthony, areas where there is no public library,” Ambriz said.
“This is a great benefit for our students residing outside El Paso City limits,” Ambriz said. “El Paso Public Library was previously only for those living within City limits; now, they have been expanded to serve everyone living in El Paso County.” The enhanced library card may serve as a second official ID that includes photo, name, address, height, eye color, sex, and expiration date and is good for 5 years, according to Ambriz.
The mobile ELC service began in September and will be offered at the NWC Jenna Welch & Laura Bush Community Library every Thursday through October. “If there is a demand, we will extend the service,” Ambriz said. “We have been issuing between 12 and 18 cards every Thursday.”
The Enhanced Library Card is free of charge and applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Eligible individuals can exchange their standard El Paso Public Library card for this enhanced version. The Card can be used across all El Paso Public Library locations, according to Orozco.
The Jenna Welch & Laura Bush Community Library on the Northwest Campus is an academic library partnering with the El Paso Public Library to provide family, youth and children’s services.
Conrad C. Orozco, El Paso Library Outreach and Engagement Services Supervisor, operates the machine that creates the new enhanced library card ID.
The library provides instruction, service, and access to informational resources that enhance educational growth and personal enrichment. It was formed in 2003 by an inter-local agreement between the El Paso Community College and the City of El Paso.
The college/city partnership library, located in Canutillo, Texas, has honored Jenna Welch and her daughter, Laura Bush, by renaming it the Jenna Welch and Laura Bush Community Library in 2005. The mother and daughter have visited the library sharing their love of books and family reading, according to Ambriz.
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