NYPL and Marvel team up to release special Spider-Man library card
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The New York Public Library and Marvel Entertainment are releasing a limited-edition Spider-Man library card this month. Debuting just in time for New York Comic Con this week, the card will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis at NYPL branches throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island starting October 11. The collaboration marks the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man’s first comic book appearance in the 15th edition of Amazing Fantasy.
Featured on the cards are images of Spider-Man alongside Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey. These images will also be featured on new banners located outside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and in the windows of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
“Reading is a superpower—one that provides everyone with the ability to learn, to be inspired, and understand the world more fully,” Anthony W. Marx., NYPL president, said.
“At The New York Public Library we remain dedicated to providing books and resources that help New Yorkers reach new heights and working with Marvel on this exciting, limited-edition Spider-Man card reinforces the exceptional accomplishments people can achieve when they have access to information. It also states unequivocally that we think our patrons are ‘beyond amazing.’”
The card’s release also marks the one-year anniversary of the NYPL’s decision to eliminate late fees to “remove barriers to accessing the Library for all New Yorkers,” according to a press release.
The library’s monumental policy decision was even featured in a Spider-Man comic. In Amazing Spider-Man #900, released last summer, Peter Parker goes to return a large stack of overdue books after learning that the library system has stopped enforcing fines.
The card’s launch coincides with the start of the NYPL’s Open House week, which begins on October 11. Libraries across the system will be posting programming and events, featuring books on display, and advising reading recommendations from a specially curated NYPL list.
This isn’t the first time NYPL has released a limited-edition library card. In October 2018, the library released the “Knowlege is Power” card, encouraging New Yorkers to take advantage of the vast collection of knowledge available to them throughout the library system.
In March 2019, the NYPL released a special-edition Lou Reed library card to celebrate the opening of the Lou Reed Archive. Running through March 2023, the archive documents the life and history of the iconic musician through a collection of photographs, papers, recordings, and other materials.
In January 2020, the library system released a special card featuring Ezra Jack Keats’ beloved children’s story, The Snowy Day, which was the library’s most checked-out book of all time. The limited-edition release was also a celebration of the NYPL’s 125th anniversary.
More information on the Spider-Man cards and related programming can be found here.
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