Sunday, August 23, 2026

Altadena Library to Release Limited-Edition Laufey Card Sunday at Bob Lucas Branch Today

Laufey [photo credit: Erlendur Sveinsson]

The Altadena Library District will release a limited-edition library card at the Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.

Laufey is an Icelandic-Chinese singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, and a two-time winner of the Grammy Award for best traditional pop vocal album. She founded the Laufey Book Club in 2022 to build a global community of readers, and her first picture book, “Mei Mei The Bunny,” is a New York Times bestseller. A Very Laufey Day is the fan event she holds each August, and this year it falls on Sunday.

The card is tied to that book club and launches at libraries around the world the same day. Partner libraries in the program have put the number of collaborating systems at nearly 50 worldwide. In Altadena the card arrives at the branch that opens on Sundays, while the district’s Main Library remains closed for renovation.

Visitors will also receive a limited-edition bookmark, according to the district. The district is running the afternoon with bookish crafts, a Laufey-themed photo station and Laufey music, and has listed the event for all ages. Cards are available while supplies last.

The branch is at 2659 Lincoln Ave. Its Sunday hours are 1 to 5 p.m., so the event runs the length of the day’s opening. The branch number is (626) 798-8338, and the district lists the event at https://altadenalibrary.libnet.info/event/17203533.

Cards will also be available at the district’s Loma Alta Park location, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., and in its mobile vans starting Monday, Aug. 24.

The Aug. 23 launch date was set nationally by Laufey and the American Library Association, which named her honorary chair of Library Card Sign-up Month. Library systems had until July 10 to enroll in the card program.

Laufey said libraries “always served as a safe haven for me” when she was growing up, according to the association’s announcement.

Five systems issued the first Laufey cards last year – Boston, Fulton County, Ga., Los Angeles County, Phoenix and one in Iceland – and most reported record single-day sign-ups, according to the association. Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September since 1987.

The release comes a year after Bob Lucas reopened in August 2025 following a renovation that added about 1,000 square feet, a children’s area and a literacy center. The Main Library at 600 E. Mariposa St. has been closed for renovation since Feb. 1, 2026.

Los Angeles County Library is releasing its own version of the Laufey card the same day at its locations. Existing cardholders there pay $1 to replace a current card with the limited-edition design.