2025 Allen County Public Library Limited Edition Library Cards. Photo courtesy of the ACPL.
The Allen County Public Library unveiled its newest set of limited-edition library cards in a special press conference and mural walk on June 27, 2025.
Allen County Public Library news release:
ACPL Unveils New Round of Library Cards featuring Local Murals in Celebration of National Mural Day
Fort Wayne, Indiana (June 27, 2025) – The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) unveiled its newest set of limited-edition library cards in a special press conference and mural walk on Friday, June 27 at 10:30 a.m. Building on the overwhelming success of last year’s limited-edition library card campaign—where more 24,000 new cards were issued and ACPL cardholders reached 51% of the county population—spotlight murals by celebrated local and national artists. The launch comes just in time for National Mural Day on June 28.
“We’ve seen just how powerful a library card can be as a symbol of connection—to resources, to community, and now, to local creativity,” said Susan Baier, Executive Director of the Allen County Public Library. “These new cards celebrate the incredible artistic talent in our own backyard and invite more people to become part of the ACPL family.”
The new limited-edition cards feature downtown Fort Wayne murals including:
“Guitar Experiment” by Alex Mendez and Alexandra Hall
“Panda Oops” by Tammy and Larry Davis
“Big Peony” by Louise Jones a.k.a. Ouizi
After the press conference, attendees joined Marketing Manager Chris Ford and Senior Librarian Craig Bailey, who will lead a downtown mural walk via the ACPL book bike. At each mural stop, artists were invited to share insights on their work and what it means to have their art featured on a library card.
Guitar Experiment, by Alex Mendez and Alexandra Hall. Photo courtesy of the Allen County Public Library.
The group also stopped by the murals featured on the 2024 cards including: “Blue Birds” by Bryan Ballinger and “Arouse! For you must justify me” by Tim Parsley. The group ended on The Landing where Citilink’s Rosa Parks bus was awaiting the participants. The bus’s art was designed by Theoplis Smith (a.k.a. Phresh Laundry) whose similar art was featured on an ACPL card last year. It served as both a piece of rolling art and shuttle transportation back to the library.
“This campaign is about more than just cards—it’s about inspiring people to see the library as an essential, engaging part of public life,” said Chris Ford. “Public murals do that for art and libraries do that for lifelong learning and discovery. And these new cards reinforce that connection.”
Special thanks were extended to Alex Hall of Art This Way for connecting ACPL with local artists.
The new limited-edition library cards are now available at all ACPL locations and online.
About the Allen County Public Library
The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has fostered lifelong learning and discovery in northeast Indiana for more than 135 years. The ACPL consists of fourteen branches throughout Allen County, serving more than one million visitors per year. The ACPL’s collection includes more than 3.9 million items, with a circulation total of 4.6 million items borrowed annually. It also houses The Genealogy Center, the nation’s largest public genealogy research center, and The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research, consisting of more than 30,000 artifacts related to President Abraham Lincoln.
