Every year, September is National Library Card Sign-Up month, an annual self-described promotion sponsored by the American Library Association. Across the country, librarians set up displays, websites feature temporary banners, and neighboring library systems run friendly competitions, all with the goal to welcome new users to the library.
Hi, I'm Caitlin, a Librarian at Johnson County Library. I was inspired by this yearly tradition, and I wanted to do my part to promote libraries with a display featuring library cards from across all 50 states. Could I possibly get 100% representation? I had a significant jump start with the help of a friend and former coworker who personally collects local library cards whenever she travels. Right off the bat, I had 33 unique cards representing 13 states. Day one and I was already a quarter of the way there.
Over the next several weeks, I submitting requests on well over a hundred different library websites, asking for blank, unregistered library cards. I became adept at finding the “Contact us” page, and if I struggled to locate it, welp, I just didn’t reach out to that library. The responses flooded in, and I was blown away by the overwhelming support.
Before long, the mail carrier was hand-delivering daily stacks of envelopes, and every day I felt a birthday present-like anticipation. Would the enclosed cards be classics, like the New York Public Library’s with its iconic lion statues? Or maybe they’d contain a host of inspirational messages like the Rochester Public Library in Minnesota where you can pick from “Seize the moment,” or “All are welcome,” or my favorite, “I am. I can. I will.” The San Diego Public Library hosts a yearly contest to design next year’s cards, reminding me of the annual Friends of Johnson County Library bookmark contest. And just like with our bookmark contest, as I flipped through the winning cards, each design bested the one before. Several libraries had some version of a “My first library card” that champion our youngest patrons, and gave me a visceral memory of the pride I felt when I got my first card at the Corinth branch so many years ago.
In addition to the requested blank cards, I also received bonus material from some libraries: fancy logoed stickers, unique bookmarks, and other promotional swag, all of which made me envious for something comparable from our Library. Some librarians took the time to hand write letters, lacing in witticisms and delightful turns of phrase, many of which I read aloud to my coworkers. The Orange Grove Public Library in Mississippi did a deep dive into the half century evolution of their library card, taking the time to pictorially document and detail their card’s history, complete with footnotes. I unexpectedly found myself with a profound sense of pride to, I myself, be amongst this amazing and diverse group of folks who call themselves librarians.
But did I successfully collect at least one library card from all 50 states?!? Sigh, dear reader, I fell short by one single state. I will throw no shade though by sharing which state. The final count was an impressive 167 library cards from 96 public libraries, plus three researcher cards from presidential libraries, two cards from the Library of Congress, and two international cards. I succeeded by far more than I had hoped.
To marvel at all the amazing doorways to the libraries across our country (because isn’t that exactly what a library card is?), I invite you to stop by the Corinth Library in Prairie Village any time during the month of November. Pick out your favorite (mine is the one shaped like a rabbit from Thousand Oaks Library in California), ogle the variety, and use the featured map with all the pinned participating libraries to see the breadth of how far those cards have traveled. National Library Card Sign-up month may be over, but with your library cards, it’s always just the beginning.
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FEATURED LIBRARIES
Public Libraries:
King County Library System, WA
Seattle Public Library, WA
Astoria Public Library, OR
Multnomah County Library, OR
San Jose Public Library, CA
Oceanside Public Library, CA
Thousand Oaks Library, CA
Anaheim Public Library, CA
LA County Library, CA
San Diego County Library, CA
Alameda County Library System, CA
Coeur D’alene Public Library, ID
The Library District, Las Vegas-Clark County, NV
The Salt Lake City Public Library System, UT
Yavapai Library System, AZ
Chandler Public Library, AZ
Flagstaff City Coconino County Public Library, AZ
Lewis and Clark Library, MT
Laramie County Library, WY
Denver Public Library, CO
Steamboat Spring Community Library, CO
The Public Library, Albuquerque & Bernalillo County, NM
Moriarty Community Library, NM
Santa Fe Public Library, NM
Octavia Fellin Public Library, NM
Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library, ND
Siouxland Libraries, SD
Omaha Public Library, NE
Waverly Public Library, KS
Wichita Public Library, KS
Christian County Library, KS
Johnson County Library, KS - original
Metropolitan Library System, OK
Public Library, OK
Houston Public Library, TX
Austin Public Library, TX
Frisco Public Library, TX
Dallas Public Library, TX
Plano Public Library, TX
Fort Worth Library, TX
Cozby Library and Community Commons, TX
St. Paul Public Library, MN
Rochester Public Library, MN
Des Moines Public Library, IA
Pella Public Library, IA
St. Louis Public Library, MO
Kansas City Public Library, MO
Mid-Continent Public Library, MO
Scenic Regional Library, MO
Missouri River Regional, MO
St. Louis Public Library, MO
Central Arkansas Library System, AR
New Orleans Public Library, LA
Stephenson Marinette County Library, WI
Chicago Public Library, IL
Skokie Public Library, IL
The Library of Hattiesburg Petal & Forrest County, MS
Harrison County Library System, MS
Lee-Itawamba Library System, MS
Ann Arbor District Library, MI
Allen County Public Library, IN
Lexington County Public Library, KY
Louisville Public Library, KY
Pike County Public Library District, KY
Johnson County Public Library, KY
Nashville Public Library, TN
Coffee County Lannom Library, TN
Rutherford County Library System, TN
Public Libraries in Jefferson County, AL
Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH
Fulton County Library System, GA
Brevard County Library, FL
Sarasota County Libraries, FL
Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL
New York Public Library, NY
West Hampton Free Library, NY
Onondaga County Public Library, NY
Free Library of Philadelphia, PA
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Allegheny County Library Association, PA
Kanawha County Public Library, WV
Arlington Public Library, VA
Virginia Beach Public Library, VA
Durham County, NC
Wake County Public Libraries, NC
Charleston County Public Library, SC
Richland Library, SC
Portland Public Library, ME
Portsmouth Public Library, NH
Nashua Public Library, NH
South Burlington Public Library, VT
Boston Public Library, MA
CLAMS Vineyard Haven Public Library, MA
Bridgeport Public Library, CT
Mercer County Library System, NJ
Delaware Libraries, DE
Baltimore County Public Library, MD
Juneau Public Library, AK
Hawaii State Public Library System, HI
Federal Libraries:
Library of Congress
Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, CA
Ford Presidential Library, MI
Kennedy Presidential Library, MA
International Libraries:
Islington Libraries, Islington, England
Sainte-Genevieve, Paris, France
