On
April 7, 2005, Maryland Public Libraries launched
a special statewide public library card. The
new card is part of a marketing initiative to
build awareness of statewide public library services
among Maryland residents and may be registered
with any county public library system in the
state. For example, a Harford County patron
could go to Baltimore County and register with
their statewide public library card. For
the staff registering the patron, the process
will be simplified with new software that will
enable one county system to retrieve a patron's
record from their home library system
and import it into their own. While there are
some agreed upon standards for initial
registration, patrons must abide by their local
library's policies and procedures.
A unique element of this statewide project
is the design of the card itself. The
card is lenticular, meaning it has two separate
images that appear depending on the angle
at which one holds it, one image will be of
the local county public library card, the
second a special statewide design. Each of
the 24 public library systems will be able
to
retain local branding while promoting statewide
services. HCPL is the only system that opted for
white children's cards in addition to adult cards
to better serve its diverse population.
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