Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Library seeks new card designs
Contest underway to celebrate Bentonville’s sesquicentennial
BENTONVILLE — A contest to design a commemorative library card that will be part of the city’s sesquicentennial is underway.
There has been a handful of submissions since the contest opened Feb. 6, library Director Hadi Dudley said. In-library and online submissions will be accepted.
“We are looking for colorful designs that celebrate Bentonville’s 150th anniversary,” Dudley said.
The contest is open to library cardholders, regardless of age. A panel will judge the submissions. The winner will receive a $150 award donated by Friends of the Bentonville Library, Dudley said.
Submissions are due by 8 p. m. March 6. The winning design will be unveiled in June. Contest details are available on the library’s website.
A library card is the ticket to a library’s resources, as it’s used to identify the bearer as a registered borrower and provides information, typically in the form of the bar code, for the loan record in the charging or circulation process, according to the American Library Association.
Bentonville cardholders can check out physical material with a library card such as books, audiovisuals, kits and more, plus use library computers or access digital resources from any internet connection, Dudley said.
The library last year registered 5,800 new library cards and has 42,915 active accounts. Library staff plan to order a minimum of 2,500 commemorative library cards. Friends of the Bentonville Library will sponsor the $1,750 cost, Dudley said.
City and Benton County residents are eligible for a free library card. The library also provides cards for various users in categories such as Bentonville business owners and educators, Dudley said.
A child as young as 5 can get a library card with a registering parent or guardian who approves registration and card use for their children, Dudley said.
People living outside the county, but are adjacent to it, are eligible for a nonresident card. The fee is $15 a year per household for nonresidents, Dudley said.
Bentonville also has a reciprocal arrangement with Fayetteville, whereby Fayetteville residents are eligible for a Bentonville library card, and vice versa, Dudley said.
The current library card design is referred to as the “jazzy” card, Dudley said. There are three color options: blue, orange and green. The cards feature a graphic of the library facade and have been in use since 2017, Dudley said.
Kaitlin Thornton of Bentonville visits the library at least once a week with her daughters, ages 6 and 4, and a son who is 1.
Her family has had a city library card since moving from Colorado to Bentonville about 4½ years ago, she said.
She still remembers going to the library as a child growing up in Springfield, Mo.
“What is more humanitybased than a library?” she said. Her daughters like to use the self-checkout kiosks, and she likes the ability to use the outdoor drivethrough drop box to return items.
She says they check out children’s books even though they have those at home, too.
“It gives the girls such a sense of independence to peruse and pick out a book,” she said.
The library will host several other activities throughout the year to celebrate the sesquicentennial.
This week, registration for the library’s Tiny Art Show will open. Kids in fifth through 12th grades and adults can register for a free canvas, paint at home, then bring their art back to the library to be displayed throughout April. The artwork should reflect the theme “Celebrating Bentonville.” Canvas supplies are limited and are only available by registering on the library’s online calendar, Dudley said.
During the week of April 3, the library will feature “Happy Birthday, Bentonville” stories, Dudley said.
The library this summer will host city leaders to participate in story times that celebrate the community. Later in the year, activities will include crafts from 1873, special displays and a “Bentonville Bingo” reading activity. The library will also debut a new American Girl doll from Bentonville in 1873, Dudley said.