Spiffing Up Library Cards With Teen Spirit
As Library Card Sign-Up Month gets under way today, it never hurts to have a little teen spirit.
The Pierce County Library in Tacoma, WA, recently ran its second, biennial contest which gives teenagers the chance to design a library card. This year’s contest drew 138 entries in the spring, which a panel of graphic designers narrowed to 13. Then 3,670 votes were cast online to determine the winner announced in August, who was Dillon Hadaway, 14.
“It gives teens greater involvement with the library because one of the cards is theirs, although we offer the card to all,” said Judy Nelson, the director of youth services. “A significant objective of the contest is to increase awareness and knowledge about the library, in particular by teenagers, and we have definitely done that,” she said.
Teenagers make up about 10 percent of the population of Pierce County.
The cards designed by Dillon will be available on more than 10,000 cards starting October 1. Dillon’s name will appear on the back of each card.
“We are thrilled with the enthusiastic response from the teenagers submitting designs and the public voting on the contest finalists,” said Neel Parikh, the library’s executive director.
The first design from two years ago, which graced more than 30,000 cards, will be retired, and the same will happen to Dillon’s design when the next contest is held in 2013, making it a bit of a collector’s item.
Nelson said the promotional aspects of the contest have been “quite successful,” and that the project was a part of the communication department’s budget.
“Make sure this fits in with your overall library strategy and is not just a one off initiative,” she said for those interested in starting a similar contest. “Know how it fits into your teen services and communications goals.”
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