Submitted by Jennifer Forbes
What does your Forsyth County Public Library card look like?
Is it mostly white or teal? Does it have the old FCPL logo with stars and an open book on it or the current, stylized FC book logo? Or is it one of our special, limited-edition cards?
In honor of FCPL's 30th Anniversary in 2026 of being our very own single-county, independent library system (July 1st is our Independence Day!), I thought I'd share what our library card designs have looked like over the years.
1996
The very first Forsyth County Public Library card design was teal with all our contact information on the front of the card. Behold, a rare view of an O.G. teal key tag spotted
in the wild. Very few of these teal key tags survive today.
The back of this card had a place for patrons to sign their agreement "to be responsible for all materials borrowed on this card, including any fines, fees, or charges for lost or damaged materials."
2001
Around 2001, the renewal line phone number changed. We must have had a large inventory of these cards because for the next few years, new patrons received the
original card, but with a sticker over the outdated information.
I'm not sure what glue was used, but this is my card (below) and the sticker hasn't
peeled in 25 years!
(Editor's Note: **breathing into a paper bag** A STICKER?! FOR YEARS? And applied at such a jaunty angle too. We sure are good stewards of our tax payers' dollars! Also, check out the monstrous length of our previous web address. That must have been such a challenge to type out on all our marketing materials! - Leslie)
2005
White became the new teal, and a new card with our first logo and an updated web address was born in 2005!
2015
As often happens, time passes and logos are updated. It had been 10 years since our last card design, and during that
time period we had also built and opened two new branches (Hampton Park
Library in 2010 and Post Road Library in 2013)! The new card featured our
new logo and tagline on the front and all 4 library branches on the back.
2017
Macaroni Kid partnered with FCPL in 2017 to sponsor the "My First Library Card" art
contest where kids were encouraged to submit their designs for a new library
card. Two winners, Samantha and Kavya, created the winning designs.
2020
When it was time for our next library card order in 2020, we added our updated mission statement to the front: "FCPL champions literacy, lifelong learning, and personalized service
to all patrons."
2021
FCPL celebrated our 25th anniversary as an independent library system in 2021! New, limited-edition library cards commemorated this milestone and we saw a record-breaking 700 new
registrations that year!
2024
For our next library card order in 2024, FCPL created three new card designs and asked our patrons to vote for their favorite. The voting was intense and patron opinions were
shared with each and every one of us, but the majority spoke. Our current
colorful collage with Alexa's smiling face was voted the clear winner.
The new card also featured a newly designed, simplified back with our new universal social media handle and no branch addresses. (Denmark Library was under construction at the time.)
2026
Celebrating the 250th anniversary of America's founding, GPLS sponsored a commemorative, limited-edition Georgia Reads for America 250 library card and provided all
libraries in Georgia with 2500 of them.
Which of these cards do you currently have in your
wallet?
Cool scroll down memory lane! I just have my number memorized. :)
ReplyDeleteSo cool - I distinctly remember my first card being FCPL V2.0 in 2011! I also memorized my number but my children have had many different iterations, including the virtual student ID "card".
ReplyDeleteMine is vintage 2005, also memorized, do not know where card is
ReplyDeleteI love this! Patrons with the teal cards love to hear how they have an "OG" card!
ReplyDeleteI still have my original teal card. I have memorized my number, but I pull my card out from time to time just to reminisce!
ReplyDeleteVery cool to see the teal key tag!! Your editors note about the sticker had me giggling 🤣 I used to have the 2015 card but misplaced all the key tags and ended up picking up a 2024 card (with a number I liked better) at PR before DE opened.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Callan! 😂 I couldn't help myself.
DeleteI first registered for an FCPL library card in 1996. I probably had the teal one but rarely used it so I was purged. Then I registered again in 2006, when my son was 1 and I've had that account ever since. I don't have the physical card but have the number memorized! Thanks Jennifer! That was cool. (Now I feel old!!)
ReplyDeleteThe original key tag owner deserves a prize! That is an impressively long time to hold onto that! I have the 2005 version, the same one I've had since elementary school.
ReplyDeletethanks for this walk down memory lane! very interesting. I didn't know I missed the teal card by just a few months!
ReplyDeleteThe 2005 card brings back so many childhood memories for me! I felt like such a big kid when my aunt gave me the key tag to carry around. That was when my love for the library started! :)
ReplyDeleteI have the 2005 version, acquired in 2013 when PR opened. My daughter Katie has the 2020 one. I signed her up so she could have her own reading history, but sometimes she forgets to give me her books and she ends up with fines. Life lessons from a library card--all part of the experience and responsibility of it!
ReplyDeleteI have my old teal card from around 2004 hanging in memoriam in my locker, complete with an 8 year old signature on the back. I now have the version from 2020- imagine my surprise when I moved back to Forsyth County after college and then living in Atlanta that my childhood card didn't work anymore!! I had checked out so many books and Nancy Drew CD-ROMs with that card! I was DEVASTATED!! Lucky for me we haven't had a bad card design yet, so the upgrade was pretty... even if I did have to memorize a new number 😉
ReplyDelete