Soon, every baby born at Lawrence Memorial Hospital will come home with a library-card application from the Lawrence Public Library.

The paperwork, which also includes a schedule of the library’s kid-friendly activities such as Books & Babies and storytime, will be distributed via the bag of parenting literature new moms and dads already receive from the hospital, said Kathleen O’Leary Morgan, director of development and strategic partnerships at the Lawrence Public Library.

“The goal is to make every child a reader from the start,” said Morgan, who said the library was inspired by similar partnerships across the country. “It’s incredibly important to read to your child from a young age. This is a way to encourage parents to read to their children, to get them excited about books and the library.”

She hopes the program will streamline the process for new parents, who can fill out the application at home and return it to the library (along with a valid photo ID, proof of address and of course, their baby) to receive the library card.

The new initiative is part of the library’s Dr. Bob Reader program. Named after the late Kansas University athletics director Bob Frederick, the program provides a free book to any child receiving his or her first library card.

For more information, call the Lawrence Public Library at 843-3833.