As Arthur Read famously sang, having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card — especially one designed by the local community.
Earlier this month, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) unveiled the winning designs from a month-long contest that invited members of the public to come up with fresh artwork for its checkout cards.
Recognized by the FCPL Board of Trustees at its final meeting of the year on Dec. 10, the four winners were:
- Alex Cederholm from Fairfax Station, whose design depicts a bear and cat reading as a frog with a backpack walks by
- Carolyn Belefski Carabeo from Fairfax (a dog wagging its tail while reading a book)
- Shawna Bolingbroke from Burke (an array of birds native to Virginia)
- Neil Nolasco from Fairfax (a colorful collage of rainbows, flowers, books and other upbeat images)
Library cards graced by the new designs will become available at all 23 branches in mid-January, according to FCPL.
“It is a joy to be able to distribute these tiny works of art for our cardholders to be able to keep in a wallet or on a keychain and we hope they smile every time they use it,” an FCPL spokesperson said. “We are so proud of our community for their participation and look forward to hosting more contests like this in 2026.”
Held in September, the library card design contest was part of a rebranding initiative by FCPL that included the introduction of a new logo and motto.
Participants were asked to submit designs that appeal to adults or children, fit on a provided template of the card and incorporate the new logo, which consists of a square partly filled with red and blue that could be interpreted as either a book corner or an ajar door.
Photographs and images created using artificial intelligence were prohibited.
Belefski Carabeo says she was grateful that FCPL opted “to spotlight local artists and not go the route of AI.” In addition to the thrill of soon getting to see her illustration being carried around by potentially hundreds of people, she appreciated the chance to connect with the other winners at the Board of Trustees meeting.
“I enjoy spotting art on small practical items we use every day,” Belefski Carabeo said in a statement to FFXnow. “So many functional items could use a sparkle of art on them to make life more enjoyable. It provides great joy to see my illustration being used and appreciated … My hope is that this visibility leads to other creative opportunities and encourages others.”
The winning artworks were chosen from more than 150 submissions by a committee made up of staff from both the library and the Fairfax Library Foundation, a nonprofit that supports FCPL through fundraising.
The submissions were judged on a combination of the distinctiveness of their artistry, how cleanly they fit the design template and how well they incorporated the library’s logo, according to FCPL, which lauded the “wide range of artistic styles and themes” that emerged.
“Our intent behind this contest was to celebrate the diversity and creativity of our Fairfax County community — and it answered the call!” FCPL said. “We received over 150 submissions and were impressed by the volume of high-quality designs, which made our final selection process difficult.”
On top of their designs being displayed on the county’s library cards, the contest winners were rewarded with $500 prizes from the Fairfax Library Foundation.
FCPL library cards are free for Fairfax County residents, though documents verifying a name and address must be presented. Residents of reciprocal jurisdictions in the D.C. area can also obtain a free card, while anyone who doesn’t live in the region can sign up for an account for an initial $50 fee that must be renewed annually.
Current card holders can exchange theirs for one with the new designs at no cost, but they will receive a new number, which could affect their digital holds and logins for online resources like the ebook and audiobook app Libby, FCPL communications director Sara Prohaska noted.
Staff at all branches would be available to answer any questions or provide assistance to patrons who need help with their accounts.
“Many of our heavy use cardholders know their card number by heart so they may want to weigh the pros and cons and decide when the best time is to switch for them,” Prohaska said. “We at FCPL believe this is arguably more valuable than being able to recite your credit or debit card numbers by heart since our resources are free and charge no interest.”
