Library Card Collections

I recently received as a gift to my librariana collection a library borrower's card for the Hales Corners Public Library in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. The neat thing about this card is that it was designed by a young person as part of a contest to help celebrate the 35th anniversary of the library. I am also aware of other libraries that have issued special library cards to help celebrate a significant anniversary. I have a limited collection of library cards, some of which I have illustrated on my Library History Buff website. As a library history buff, I am especially interested in vintage library cards. My oldest card which is described as a "ticket" dates back to 1848 and is for the Boston Athenaeum. At least two individuals have much larger collections and have also chosen to display them on the Internet. The Great Library Card Collection of Michael Sauers consists of only valid library cards that have been issued to him. The Great Library Card Collection of Corey Peterson, perhaps the largest such collection in the world, consists of over 3,000 library cards.