The National Library Symbol is a pictogram indicating the location of a library. It features a white silhouette of a book and a reader on a blue background (originally specified Pantone PMS #285). [1] It was adopted by the American Library Association in 1982 to raise awareness of services provided by libraries and to convey a more "modern" image. [2] [3]
The 1979 White House Conference on Library and Information Services recommended the adoption of a national library symbol to increase public awareness of libraries. In 1981, American Library Association President Elizabeth W. Stone established a task force, headed by Dorothy Pollet Gray of the Library Congress, to select a symbol. [4] [5] After examining international examples of library symbols, the task force selected a symbol designed by Ralph E. DeVore for the Western Maryland Public Libraries in 1978. [4] [6] It first appeared officially in the 1982 American Library Association publication A Sign System for Libraries, which was the result of a project by Mary S. Mallery and Ralph E. DeVore to develop a standardized system of signs, color codes, and terminology for the Western Maryland Public Libraries. [7]
At the 1982 American Library Association Annual Conference in Philadelphia, the symbol was officially endorsed for nationwide use. As criteria in its decision, the task force noted its clean and simple design, evoking that of existing international symbols, and its potential to accommodate future adaptations and modifications. [3] The symbol was widely promoted during National Library Week, held April 17–23, 1983. [8]
In March 1985, the Federal Highway Administration adopted the symbol for use in the 4th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (sign designation I4-1 in the 11th edition). [1] [9]
In 2009, the American Library Association released an updated version of the National Library Symbol to accompany their "Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study." The symbol was designed by Illinois graphic designed Brian Benson. It was not intended as an official replacement of the original symbol. [10]
In 2017, Rebecca McCorkindale released a series of images based on the National Library Symbol with the phrase "Libraries Are For Everyone". She created them in collaboration with Julie Syler and Ashley Jones from the Saline County Library in Benton, Arkansas, and released them in the public domain. [11] [12] She has released versions in over 100 languages. LAFE signs have been adopted as interior decorations in many libraries throughout the United States. [13]
Flag Day is a holiday celebrated on June 14 in the United States. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. The Flag Resolution stated "That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Norman Ralph "Norm" Augustine is a U.S. aerospace businessman who served as United States Under Secretary of the Army from 1975 to 1977. Augustine served as chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. He was chairman of the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee.
Constance Morella is an American politician and diplomat. She represented Maryland's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003. She served as Permanent Representative from the U.S. to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2003 to 2007. She is on American University's faculty as an Ambassador in Residence for the Women & Politics Institute. She was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) by President Barack Obama in 2010.
The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Established in 1936, the organization serves upwards of 6,200 individual and member institutions.
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used. Federal law requires compliance by all traffic control signs and surface markings on roads "open to public travel", including state, local, and privately owned roads. While some state agencies have developed their own sets of standards, including their own MUTCDs, these must substantially conform to the federal MUTCD.
Indy Week, formerly known as the Independent Weekly and originally the North Carolina Independent, is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Research Triangle area and counties. Its first issue was published in April 1983.
The United States Air Force Symbol is the public logo of the United States Air Force. It was unveiled in January 2000 following a period of research and planning, and became official on May 5, 2004, four years after the Air Force first applied for trademark protection. The Air Force also released guidelines on appropriate uses for the new symbol.
The United States Bicycle Route System is the national cycling route network of the United States. It consists of interstate long-distance cycling routes that use multiple types of bicycling infrastructure, including off-road paths, bicycle lanes, and low-traffic roads. As with the complementary United States Numbered Highways system for motorists, each U.S. Bicycle Route is maintained by state and local governments. The USBRS is intended to eventually traverse the entire country, like the Dutch National Cycle Routes and the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network, yet at a scale similar to the EuroVelo network that spans Europe.
The International Symbol of Access (ISA), also known as the International Wheelchair Symbol, denotes areas where access has been improved, mostly for those with disabilities. It consists of a usually blue square overlaid in white with a stylized image of a person in a wheelchair. It is maintained as the international standard ISO 7001, image of the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA), a committee of Rehabilitation International (RI).
Glenn Frederick Ivey is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 4th congressional district since 2023. The district covers most of the Black-majority areas on the Maryland side of the Washington metropolitan area.
Effie Lee Morris was an African American children's librarian, educator, and activist, best known for her pioneering public library services for minorities and the visually-impaired. Morris developed Cleveland Public Library's first Negro History Week and was New York Public Library's first children's specialist for visually-impaired patrons. She was the first coordinator of children's services at San Francisco Public Library, where she was also the first African American to hold an administrative position.
David John Trone is an American politician and alcoholic beverage magnate who served as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. The district includes most of the western third of the state, but the bulk of its population is in the outer northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. Trone founded and co-owns Total Wine & More with his brother, Robert L. Trone, and served as the company's president until December 2016.
Jessica González-Rojas is an American activist, politician, and academic. A Democrat, she is the New York State Assembly member for the 34th District, having been elected in 2020 after defeating incumbent Michael DenDekker in the primary.
A safety sign is a sign designed to warn of hazards, indicate mandatory actions or required use of personal protective equipment, prohibit actions or objects, identify the location of firefighting or safety equipment, or marking of exit routes.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Maryland. Democratic Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks defeated Republican former Governor Larry Hogan in the contest to succeed Democratic incumbent Ben Cardin, who did not seek a fourth term. Alsobrooks is the first African American and second woman to represent Maryland in the Senate.
Joseph Vogel is an Uruguay-born American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 17 since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the Montgomery County cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville; he represents the district alongside fellow Democratic delegates Julie Palakovich Carr and Ryan Spiegel.
Adrian A. Boafo is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 23 in Prince George's County, Maryland. He previously served as the Vice Mayor and District 3 council member for the City of Bowie from 2019 to 2022.
ANSI Z35.1 the Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs, was an American standard that dictated the layout, colors and wording of safety signs in the United States. The standard is the first American standard that made specific demands for the design, construction, and placement of safety signage in industrial environments. The first edition was published in January 1941, and the fourth and final edition in November 1972. Changes in societal needs of signage, and further research into signage would result in the establishment of a new committee, the ANSI Z535 Committee on Safety Signs and Colors, combining the separate committees of Z35.1 - Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs, Z35.2 - Specifications for Accident Prevention Tags, and Z53 - Marking Physical Hazards Safety Color Code, resulting in a new combined standard, ANSI Z535.