Last month, The New York Public Library (NYPL) and Marvel Entertainment released a special, limited-edition Spider-Man library card, inspiring new and existing patrons to explore a multitude of free resources, programs, and books at the Library—including Marvel graphic novels. This dynamic collaboration marked the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man’s first comic book appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 and emphasizes the importance of reading, knowledge, and libraries to Peter Parker’s crime-fighting comic book adventures.
“Marvel’s history has always been rooted in telling stories on the page. And to many people, those stories taught them the joy and power of reading, whether it was their first comic book or graphic novel at a young age or the first time they shared their passion for Marvel comics with their friends and families,” said Marvel Vice President of Licensed Publishing Sven Larsen. “With so many of our most iconic moments and characters established in New York City, we’re thrilled to work with The New York Public Library to invite even more people to dive into Marvel and find their own favorites across Spider-Man’s legacy.”
Over 13,000 Spider-Man cards were issued system wide between Oct. 11 (when the Spider-Man card was released) and Oct. 24, according to Billy Parrott, director of NYPL’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL). Of the more than 1,000 cards that were issued at SNFL on Day One (Oct. 11), 815 of them were by brand new library cardholders. He calculated that over 2,000 cards were issued at SNFL by the end of Week One (Oct. 11-17) and over 1,000 additional cards were issued by the end of Week Two (Oct. 18-24).
“Prior to this initiative, we were routinely issuing an average 150 to 200 cards per week. Now we’re issuing that same amount per day … and many are immediately checking out items,” Parrott said, expressing both his shock and excitement at the public’s reaction. “Not only does that show that Spider-Man is really popular, but it re-enforces the whole idea of ‘knowledge is power.’ If it takes a Spider-Man card for New Yorkers to tap into their superpowers, then we’re behind that 100 percent.”
Patrons of all ages have also taken to social media to show off their love for Spider-Man by taking selfies with their new cards and in front of the giant banners outside the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and the five windows of SNFL right down the block. The cards, banners, and windows all feature images of Spider-Man and two other web-slingers, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. “We saw kids coming in with their parents, dressed in Spider-Man costumes on Day One,” Parrott said. “This is just one of those things that has kind of erased age barriers.”
Parrott added that he hopes returning patrons who have not utilized the Library lately can see all that the Library offers. “I think once they’re here, they’ll see that maybe libraries aren’t the way they used to remember. They aren’t just books anymore,” he said. “We have citizenship classes, English conversation classes, computer classes, author events, programs for children, teens, adults, you name it. We do lots of things to meet the needs of everyday New Yorkers.”
Only 150,000 Spider-Man cards have been printed for the occasion. But there is still time to “swing by” your local library to claim your special Spidey card. It is available to new and current patrons while supplies last in the 92 NYPL locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.
Other special-edition cards previously issued by NYPL include the Library’s “Knowledge Is Power” in 2018, Lou Reed in 2019, and Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day” in 2020.
