Benjamin Jepson students Steven Vasquez and Lorenzo Maldonado. Lucy Gellman Photos.
Lorenzo Maldonado can already see it taking shape. On the library card of his dreams, there’s a tree spreading its big green leaves to the New Haven sky, and a building so tall that it’s best seen from the side. The background is pink. On the back, there’s a QR code to keep track of books a person has checked out.
Lorenzo, an eighth grader at Benjamin Jepson Multi-Age Interdistrict Magnet School, suggested that artwork Monday morning, as he and classmates heard about the New Haven Free Public Library’s Library Card Design Contest for the first time. Held from May 12 to June 12 across all five library branches, the contest is open to all age groups and carries three $225 awards for winners in three different age groups (children, teens, and adults).
It replaces the current library card design, which features a wide-eyed green owl atop the letters “NHFPL,” with another on the card’s blue background. In green and white, the words “Creating Community” float above branch names and phone numbers. The words “New Haven Free Public Library” repeat in capital, bolded letters at the bottom. A “.org” hovers in the left corner, a reminder of the library’s digital resources.
NHFPL Deputy Director Luis Chavez-Brumell and NHFPL Public Services Administrator Rory Martorana.
It taps into “that common humanity that we all have” and carries a “great sense of ownership,” said NHFPL Deputy Director Luis Chavez- Brumell in an interview at the Ives Main Branch Monday morning. “We want you to be able to see yourself in the library.”
The NHFPL’s library cards are long overdue for an upgrade. According to Public Services Administrator Rory Martorana, the library has had the same design for almost a decade. After she and Chavez-Brumell started talking about the idea, they spent close to nine months looping in circulation staff, fellow librarians, and the NHFPL’s marketing team.
The cards need to be “freshened up” while also “including the community” during the process, Martorana said.
She added that she’s hopeful for a design that centers “the diversity of people” that use the library, from kids to senior citizens. Some patrons who have been with the NHFPL for decades refuse to change their card, because it features the library’s signature domed skylight on a classic black background. This presents the opportunity for a change.
Monday morning, patrons of all ages weighed in on what they’d like to see. There with a class from Benjamin Jepson, Lorenzo said his favorite color is pink and he believes if his library card had vibrant colors and designs that fit his personality and style, he’d keep better track of it. A resident of Fair Haven, Lorenzo occasionally goes to the library, but has hesitated to check out books since recently losing his card.
“I think I would take better care of my card if I liked the way it looked,” he said.
Top: Chavez-Brumell. Bottom: Andre Sutton, who works at Jepson and also graduated from the New Haven Public Schools. Mya DeBerry Photo.
Fellow student Steven Vasquez, who is in the seventh grade, suggested a design that featured the color blue, animals, books, and colors that “pop out.” He added that he’d include a QR code on his library card to help him keep better track of it while also giving him access to books that are available and in stock.
School behavioral specialist Andre Sutton said he'd like to see a customized library card that relates to his vibe and style, along with a QR code that could lead him to digital resources and books that are not checked out.
In the computer lab downstairs, Leonard (he declined to give his last name) said he would have a green library card, printed with the outline of three churches to represent the three church buildings that line Temple Street between the upper and lower New Haven Green. He said that history is valuable to him and reminds him of how he was “here before all of this.”
The New Haven Free Public Library is hosting its card design contest from May 12 through June 12. More information, including the guidelines to enter, is available here. Mya DeBerry is the Arts Paper's 2025 New Haven Academy (NHA) intern. The New Haven Academy internship is a program for NHA juniors that pairs them with a professional in a field that is interesting to them. From now through the end of the month, look out for her byline!