Ferndale’s New Library Cards Don Local Designs
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 21, 2026)
Ferndale, MI – Following a community-wide design contest, Ferndale Area District Library has introduced new library cards featuring winning local art.
Avery Hines designed the winning Adult card. Stella Paruch designed the winning Teen card. And Mariah Garrett designed the winning Kids card.
Head of Marketing and Communications Jeff Milo helped organize the contest. “This is something that the Head of Circulation, Melissa Moore, and myself, have been discussing for months,” Milo said. “Many libraries across Michigan, and even the nation, offer similar design contests that conclude with the unveiling of a new design, and several will group submissions into age groups, not only for the opportunity to have more than one ‘winner,’ but for the bonus of then being able to offer new members signing up the chance to choose which card they like best. This is a chance to inspire creativity throughout our community, showcase local talent, and subtly drive home the point that it’s the patrons who keep the library strong.”
There were 44 entries all together, showing a lot of love for the local library. The entries were narrowed down to three in each category, and the public was invited to vote. The finalists who didn’t win were still gifted an exclusive copy of their card printed with their design.
The community voted for the winners, but the library still printed off 1 exclusive copy of all 6 finalists’ cards and delivered them directly to those artists, so that now they have a one-of-a-kind card with their own artwork on it.
The cards can lead to many adventures, beyond just the ability to check out books.
“Library cards are free serotonin machines. On a daily or weekly basis, it can deliver the same thrill you get from getting home from the bookstore or starting up a new audiobook, or finding a cool new movie to stream,” Milo said.
“You’ll actually be overwhelmed, in the best way possible, by what a library can get you: you’ll use it to stream movies at home, download audiobooks for free, check out seeds for your garden, borrow tools you only need to use for one day, loan an instrument you’re interested in learning, or top off your weekend with a board game, video game, or puzzle.
“Plus, you can use your Ferndale card at other neighboring libraries; you can even access copies of their materials to be sent here for you to pick up.”
That’s still just the tip of the iceberg, Milo said. There’s a lot to know about the magic of a Ferndale Library Card, including the fact that late fees are not enforced, and that users can access digital resources online through the library website.
If you’re signing up for your first card or you’re renewing an expired card, you can choose between these three designs. Library cards must be renewed annually — a process that takes 1 minute or less, either in person or online — if it isn’t time for your renewal yet, you can still swap your ‘old’ card for the new designs, for a charge of $2.
Learn more about Ferndale Area District Library at https://www.fadl.org/
