Laufey is no stranger to the power of a library card. In 2025, the musician collaborated with four major US public library systems—Boston, Fulton County (Ga.), LA County, and Phoenix—and Reykjavík (Iceland) City Library to release Laufey Book Club library cards to encourage more library card sign-ups. The limited drop was a hit; most libraries … Continue reading One for the Collection
Council adopted the rules (CD#5.1) and the agenda (CD#8.6). Committee on Legislation Chair Susan Hempstead brought forth a resolution affirming public libraries as essential economic and civic infrastructure (CD#20.1). The resolution passed 111-3 with an amendment to broaden the statement to include all libraries, not just public libraries. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Group co-chairs Ed … Continue reading Council II: Guidance Approved for AI in Libraries
A couple of years and many, many emailed requests later, Heaviside has collected hundreds of public library cards from every US state and several foreign locales, including the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Scotland, and South Africa. “It was like I couldn’t stop,” she says. Her persistence paid off: During … Continue reading Bookend: Up Her Sleeve
“We saw how hard it was for [residents] to get electricity, rent an apartment, open a bank account, or pick up their children from school” without them, says Damaris Gonzalez, an immigration rights organizer with the nonprofit Texas Organizing Project (TOP), which has been advocating for enhanced library cards in the state. These cards are … Continue reading ID Made Easier
That might sound like the opening volley of a gender-studies lecture. But when Erin Shea, supervisor of Ferguson Library’s Harry Bennett and Weed Memorial and Hollander branches in Stamford, Connecticut, wondered it aloud at a staff meeting last October, she was waxing practical, not theoretical. Specifically, she was questioning a common procedure followed by her … Continue reading Ditching the Gender Data
1988 The year then–Secretary of Education William Bennett issued the challenge: “Let’s have a national campaign. Every child should obtain a library card—and use it.” The following year, the American Library Association declared September as Library Card Sign-Up Month. 500 Number of children who attended the October 14, 1988, kickoff event on the National Mall … Continue reading By the Numbers: Library Cards
Davis is branch manager at San Diego Public Library. An excerpt from his book was published in the July/August issue of American Libraries. What made you want to write this book? When I first saw what Contra Costa County (Calif.) Library was doing with its Discover and Go ticketed pass program, it seemed like such a big … Continue reading A Conversation with Author Jeffrey T. Davis
For kids, a library card is often their first entry to membership in grown-up society as individuals who are independent of their families. Library cards represent belonging for adults as well. For new immigrants, a library card may be the first material sign of membership in their wider new community. Whether one is a first- … Continue reading Sharing Our Cities, Towns, and Natural Places
At many libraries, digital “cards”—which usually consist simply of numbers that patrons use to access digital items—have become standard. The Harris County (Tex.) Public Library (HCPL) introduced its version, the iKnow Digital Access Card, as a way to “reduce as many barriers as possible,” says Library Director Edward Melton. IKnow card holders can access the … Continue reading The Future of Library Cards
Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library (KCPL) is among the latest to link public school students’ identification numbers to the public library system, allowing students to use their school IDs in place of library cards to check out books and access online databases of downloadable content. Courtney Lewis, a KCPL spokesperson, says the program, launched in … Continue reading Linking Students to Libraries
Snoopy has inspired all of us at Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library (CCPL) to expand Library Card Sign-Up Month into a dog-tastic extravaganza. We are crowdsourcing a “top dog” to be featured on an official CCPL library card, and we’re giving customers the chance to create their own customized library cards during a special pet … Continue reading Library Card Spokesdog
