September marks Library Card Sign-Up Month, and this year’s festivities are set to a whole new beat with Laufey, a two-time Grammy winner and debut author of children’s book Mei Mei the Bunny (Penguin Workshop, April), serving as honorary chair.
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 reported shattering single-day enrollment records, and a new batch of libraries announced their special-edition Laufey Book Club cards available this year. (A list of participating libraries is available at the A Very Laufey Day website under Partners.)
Today, special-edition library cards are more than just credentials. Whether they are featuring famous figures or commemorating culture and history, they’re something to flaunt. Here’s a look at other cards that are striking a major chord.
Happy birthday, America! Commemorating the US semiquincentennial in 2026, New York Public Library launched a card featuring the library’s copy of Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten Declaration of Independence.
Libraries across the nation debuted similar cards: Easton Area (Penn.) Public Library, for example, included the Easton flag, highlighting the city’s role in the country’s founding.
The Obama Presidential Center branch of Chicago Public Library opened its doors in June and released the first batch of 5,000 limited-edition cards to match. These coveted cards were scooped up in a matter of weeks, although they have been restocked.
Swifties are in their reading era! In spring 2024, Placentia (Calif.) Library District (PLD) dropped a special edition library card during the pop star’s Eras Tour. The card was an ode to Taylor Swift’s discography and personality, featuring an illustration of book spines with her album titles and her beloved cats. Call Number with American Libraries released a podcast episode on music and libraries that included PLD’s Taylor Swift cards and programming like dance parties and trivia games.
In 2024, Pikes Peak (Colo.) Library District unveiled a card celebrating the Paris Olympic Games and Team USA. The card, which featured artwork by Olympic Games painter LeRoy Neiman, highlighted the area’s US Olympic and Paralympic Museum and granted children free admission to the attraction for the summer.
In October 2025, Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Library (SPPL) observed the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian resettlement in the city with a card drawn by local artist Kao Lee Thao. Thao drew inspiration from traditional textiles, patterns, and landscapes to honor St. Paul’s Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese communities. “This special edition library card is more than a card; it’s a celebration of heritage, culture, and the stories that make our community stronger,” said Maureen Hartman, SPPL director, when announcing the card.
Murals are no longer memorialized with just a photo-op; Allen County (Ind.) Public Library (ACPL) users can carry mini versions in their wallets. ACPL first unveiled cards featuring public art in February 2024, and the library issued a second batch in 2025 in recognition of National Mural Day on June 28. “We’ve seen just how powerful a library card can be as a symbol of connection—to resources, to community, and now to local creativity,” said ACPL Executive Director Susan Baier in a news release.
As part of its Black History Month celebration in February 2025, Fulton County (Ga.) Library System (FCLS) marked the 30th anniversary of its Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. FCLS launched cards honoring Annie L. McPheeters, a civil rights activist and librarian who in 1934 established the collection that would serve as the library’s foundation. Charly Palmer, the award-winning artist who designed the card, signed 500 cards from the limited run.
From 1954 to 1989, The Wallace and Ladmo Show brought daily entertainment, connection, and joy to homes via TV screens across Arizona. In April 2026, Phoenix Public Library (PPL), in collaboration with the Wallace and Ladmo Foundation, commemorated the children’s show with a limited-run library card. Lee Franklin, PPL community relations director, recounted the show’s impact in an interview with Phoenix New Times: “Their show has this iconic status after all these years. It went off the air in December 1989 and still really resonates with people.”
In Mesoamerican mythology, Quetzalcoatl is known as one of the creators of the world—and the inventor of books. For its dual celebration of Hispanic American Heritage Month and Library Card Sign-Up Month in September 2024, Timberland (Wash.) Regional Library issued limited-edition cards highlighting Quetzalcoatl, designed by local artist Angie Hinojos.
At its Read Freely Fest in March 2026, Richland Library in Columbia, South Carolina, debuted its special edition cards featuring Nimona, the eponymous (and possibly villainous?) hero of the graphic novel and its Oscar-nominated Netflix adaptation. The card was illustrated by Nimona creator and Columbia native ND Stevenson.
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