Commentary October 20, 2026

How 1 Special-Edition Library Card Could Boost Readership

Commemorative library cards across the U.S. have been shown to drive new library sign-ups in huge numbers.

By  Brendan Menapace

Key Takeaways

• Special-edition library cards featuring popular musicians like Jimmy Eat World and Laufey can attract new audiences and boost library engagement.

• Brooklyn Public Library’s Jay-Z promotion generated nearly 40,000 new library accounts and a 350% increase in year-over-year sign-ups.

• By tapping into local pride and pop culture, distributors can turn simple print products into effective tools for community engagement.

The worry in print is that the digital world will engulf the print world. Books will get taken over by e-books and audiobooks, and people will scan things like membership cards on their phones.

Recent promotions, not to mention the enormous popularity of some young-adult and not-so-young-adult book franchises in recent years, have shown that that’s just not the case – at least not yet.

library

What’s more, simple traditional print products like a library card, when given a bit of a makeover, have been shown to make a huge difference in boosting membership to local libraries and, by extension, literacy rates and demand for books.

The most recent example of a library using some local star power to attract readers came from Mesa, AZ, where the local library system released a special-edition library card celebrating hometown hero rock band Jimmy Eat World. It’s even meant to look like an old ticket stub, making it a real double whammy of a print product.

Just months prior, the Broward County, FL, library system released a two-piece library card set – one wallet size and one smaller keychain card – decorated to be part of the “Laufey Book Club” and celebrating the Grammy-winning artist, who hails from … Iceland actually. So, we’re not sure about the exact connection, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Real Cards, Real Results

Now, these are fun examples of how a library system can use pop culture and local influence to make something that people will want to get their hands on and engage with – in this case a library – but the promotion goes a step further into real difference-making territory when you look at the case study in Brooklyn.

In 2023, the Brooklyn Public Library, along with Roc Nation, hosted an exhibition celebrating the life and career of Jay-Z. As part of the exhibition, the BPL and Roc Nation released 13 limited-edition library cards featuring album art from Jay-Z’s catalog, which were distributed across the system’s 61 branches.

Outside and inside the Central Library, the exhibit was an immersive experience that was much bigger than just a library card.

According to Urban Libraries, more than 600,000 people visited the Central Library to see the exhibit, and more than 115,000 library cards were given out. Almost 40,000 of those people who got library cards were new accounts. This single event made for a 74% visitation increase over the previous year for the event alone, and a 350% year-over-year increase in new account sign-ups.

The program was so successful that it’s continued this year, with another set of special-edition library cards.

Small Products, Big Difference

The success of these programs says a few things: For starters, people want commemorative print products like library cards the same way they’d like a collectible trading card. There is a collector’s spirit to it, but it comes with the added bonus of being able to check books out from the library – something they might have never gotten around to without this little bit of motivation.

The other is the universality of it all. There are libraries in every town. Granted, not all of these towns have international chart-topping mega stars, but they have something that makes them special. In this case, the town’s history and identity is part of the “brand” story. By tapping into local pride and a plentiful end-buyer market, coupled with the knowledge that these programs make real differences for the library programs, distributors can create something that goes far beyond simple advertisement.

Brendan Menapace

Content Director, Print & Promo Marketing

Brendan is the content director for ASI's Print & Promo Marketing media brand, which brings together the promotional products, apparel, commercial print and product decoration industries. His coverage includes in-depth company and personal profiles, trend pieces, and multimedia content.