During the State of the City presentation on September 27th, Marie Lejeune, director of the Rochester Public Library, revealed a new logo to represent the Library on all new signage and materials.

According to Lejeune, the Library was in need of branding that was more in line with its mission to be the “hub of the community”. 

“When I was interviewing for this position, I found myself using the term ‘Community Hub’ to describe the vision I had for the future of the Library,” said Lejeune. “In the months since taking the position, the vision has evolved and is better described by the phrase ‘The Heart of the Community’.”

In 2021, the Library received grant funding to assess the current marketing strategy and make recommendations on how to develop new ways to illustrate the importance of diversity and inclusion, and attract new patrons.

“We are working toward a more interactive version of the Library,” said Lejeune. “We are making it our mission to collaborate with other organizations, volunteer groups, and other city departments to offer services to people where they are, while also maintaining traditional library services… We needed branding that better reflected the new direction.”

The new logo features colorful book pages with a heart at the center. During preliminary design talks, the goal was to create a vibrant logo that would be eye-catching, recognizable, and identifiable to people of all ages and backgrounds. 

The logo is featured on the Library’s website, social media pages, and on new library cards and magnets. Lejeune says that anyone who would like to switch out their old card for the new one, can do it free of charge through the month of October. After that, the standard $1 replacement fee will be charged.

“I’ve already swapped out my old card for the new design, but if you’d like to keep using the old one, that’s okay too,” said Lejeune. “We still occasionally see someone using the old orange and purple cards from the 90s when we first started using cards with a barcode!”

The Rochester Public Library is located at 65 South Main Street. Call (603) 332-1428 or visit www.rpl.lib.nh.us for additional information and general inquiries.