The Ohio County Public Library is thrilled to announce the official launch of our newly redesigned library cards! Supported in part by Wheeling Heritage and the Wheeling Arts and Cultural Commission, these fun new cards aim to celebrate several local artists while highlighting the community’s appreciation for local arts and culture.
The cards feature three vibrant works of art from talented artists within our community, each paying homage to “The River and the Land,” which is one of Wheeling Heritage’s five themes of history and development used to help interpret Wheeling history. The three artists were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants during a proposal-based art commission search.
The card designed by Logan Schmitt shows a view of the Ohio River from Main Street Bridge and includes iconic Wheeling Island buildings and spotlights two geese standing on the old train tracks that cross Wheeling Creek. The card designed by Natalie Kovacs features a lush natural scene with three animals—two raccoons and an opossum—in the brush and sitting on the banks of Wheeling Creek. The card designed by Elisha Rush depicts a scene at dusk, featuring a Great Blue Heron holding a railroad lantern, with a dreamy vision of the Ohio River in the background, filled with stacks of books, a train in the distance, and additional small critters.
“We are so excited to introduce these art-forward library cards! We believe the new cards showcase our commitment to fostering creativity and connection within our community,” remarked Amy Kastigar, library director. “By featuring local artwork on our cards, we hope to inspire patrons to explore not only the world of literature but also the rich natural world around them.”
The new library cards will be available for patrons starting April 9. Current cardholders can swap their existing cards for the redesigned ones at no additional cost, but Libby and Hoopla users should be warned that current waitlist e-holds are not transferable to new card numbers. Learn more by visiting the library’s website.
