It’s Library Card Sign-up Month, and the festivities are set to a whole new beat with Laufey, the two-time Grammy®-winning singer and author of children’s book, “Mei Mei the Bunny” (Penguin Workshop, April), who’s serving as this year’s honorary chair.
Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the American Library Association (ALA) and thousands of libraries and schools unite to promote all the wonders that having a library card unlocks.
As honorary chair, Laufey is spotlighting how, no matter what your tastes are, a library card hits all the right notes—whether you enjoy reading a classic story, vibing out in a cozy nook, learning new skills in the library’s makerspace, or checking out instruments and tools in the Library of Things.
The Icelandic-Chinese composer, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is no stranger to the power of books and a library card. An enthusiastic reader, she founded the Laufey Book Club in 2022 to help foster a global community of readers. And in 2025, she collaborated with four U.S. public library systems—Boston, Fulton County (Ga.), LA County, and Phoenix—and Reykjavík (Iceland) City Library to release limited-edition Laufey Book Club library cards to encourage more library card sign-ups.
The cards were a hit: Most libraries reported shattering single-day enrollment records, and a new batch of libraries announced their special-edition Laufey Book Club cards available this year. (A list of participating libraries is available at the A Very Laufey Day website under Partners.)
To help kick-off Library Card Sign-Up Month, Laufey recorded a special video message for ALA touting the many benefits of having a library card.
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Laufey’s involvement in Library Card Sign-up Month is deeply personal for the singer.
“Growing up caught between different cultures and moving around a lot, libraries always served as a safe haven for me,” said Laufey. “I loved reading, and the idea that I could find something that connected to every part of me felt magical. Whether it was a book about Iceland, a volume on classical music, or a fantasy novel, my endless wanderlust was well satiated. I’ve carried these spaces with me into adulthood, and the stories from within have directly impacted my songwriting.”
Along with her honorary chair role, Laufey has also joined ALA’s celebrity READ® campaign and is featured on a new READ® poster, available now for purchase in the ALA Store alongside official Library Card Sign-up Month posters and bookmarks.
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