Property owners worldwide are increasingly putting libraries at the center of promotions, merchandise, or other initiatives. As the following examples show, each venture to date in this relatively untapped space has been unique in design, implementation, and objectives, but each involves a library, library system, or libraries in general as partner, location, and/or theme:
- Singapore’s National Library Board paired with KFC in November of this year to offer KFC-branded crossbody bags, t-shirts, and coloring books. Patrons who borrow any four e-books from the NLB at participating KFC outlets — using scannable table stickers or eReads interactive screens at KFC locations — become eligible to win items from the merch collection; the promotion runs through March, with 20 winners named each month. Separately, the NLB partnered with Disney for a Star Wars pop-up library at Singapore’s Changi Airport, Terminal 3 Departure Hall, with the initiative active from August of this year through January 24. The library includes more than 2,000 copies of 380 physical Star Wars book titles, and its design is modeled after the Jedi Archives on the planet Coruscant, as depicted in the Star Wars franchise. Books can be returned to any NLB library across Singapore.
- Penguin Random House paired with L.A.-based hand-dyed apparel label Online Ceramics in April 2025 for a Reading is Right collection that supported the First Amendment and protested the rising threat of book bans. Products, featuring themed messaging, included hoodies, sweats, t-shirts, hats, socks, and bumper stickers, and 100% of net profits went to the American Library Association, which supports libraries and compiles data on book challenges. Prices ranged from $5 to $135; educators and librarians earned a 20% discount.
- Japanese streetwear label Vowels opened a by-appointment-only cultural research library and showroom in May 2024 in the Soho neighborhood of New York City. The 2,000 books and magazines in the library sit alongside capsule collections from the “alternative-luxury” brand, designed by creative director Yuki Yagi, whose books populate the library. But the primary purpose of the space is to give customers a chance to escape the world and get back in touch with printed matter, the designer told Hypebeast at the time of the opening.
- A number of libraries have collaborated with IP owners to create themed library cards as a way to encourage patrons to register for membership. To name just three of many licensed examples, the Hennepin County Library system in Minnesota introduced a limited edition of 25,000 Prince library cards, available at all 41 of its library locations, in November 2025, timed to the debut of the Purple Rain musical at a theater in Minneapolis, which is located in the county. The card, showing a 1985 photo of Prince performing, was developed with the Prince Estate and designed to highlight Prince’s connection to Minneapolis, the importance of libraries, and Hennepin County’s extensive music resources. The Brooklyn Public Library, meanwhile, celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in 2023 with 13 Jay-Z-themed cards, each featuring a different album cover, boosting membership by 14,000 patrons in a month. Fans could collect all 13 by visiting different libraries across the borough. And the New York Public Library and Marvel paired in 2022 for a special-edition Spider-Man library card as part of a broader partnership to mark the 60th anniversary of the character and promote reading, comics, and libraries.
A few libraries also oversee outbound licensing programs, with the British Library a notable example. In 2025, it partnered with Singaporean tea chain Chagee, which introduced Alice in Wonderland-themed Earl Grey milk tea and black tea as well as Alice-themed merchandise such as key chains and travel tags. It also paired with designer Lele Sadoughi for a collection of jewelry, bows, and headbands in the U.S. — the library’s first significant extension into that market — tied to classic literary titles. Both deals were negotiated by licensing agency Artistory.
A heads-up that Raugust Communications’ annual round-up of the licensing trends of the year, this time recapping 25 trends from 2025, has just been posted. A lot happened in licensing in 2025; you can read all about it here.
Also, our monthly e-newsletter will be published tomorrow (Tuesday, December 16). The Licensing Topic of the Month takes a look back at the impacts of tariffs as the year comes to a close, while the Datapoint research spotlight examines collaborations involving functional beverages. If you do not yet receive this free publication, you can sign up here.
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