Last fall we asked for your opinion on a new library card design and got a great response. In total, 880 votes were cast and many of you included comments. Here are the results:

• 252 thought that the patron should be able to pick a color from our 3 options
• 223 favored the blue card
• 217 liked the orange card
• 148 preferred the turquoise card
• 40 wanted to keep the old card design

Many expressed concern about incurring extra costs to have new cards made. Our supply of cards was already running low (we issue about 6,000 new cards each year), so we needed to order cards regardless of the design. We gathered estimates from several card printers and were able to print the new design without incurring set up charges for the additional colors. Other than a small design fee to include our new logo, which was budgeted, it did not cost anything extra to offer a choice of cards.

We have a limited number of the previous design still available. There is a $1 charge to switch to the new card or replace a lost card if you choose the new design. Remember, your barcode number will change! There is not a charge for a new patron to get a card.

Boy!  I can’t wait for March to get here.  Why?  Because March is Reading Month!  And Reading Month means First Grade Round Up!    This is the 18^th year the  Children’s Tween and Teen Services Librarians will host first grade classes from local schools.  And I haven’t missed one yet!    Kids get a tour of the library and meet my Giraffe friends Caribou and Rafiki.  Then they make a craft and see a really funny puppet show.  The best part of First Grade Round Up is that each First Grader gets a library card and checks out a book that day