Camden design firm Naretiv has produced a new brand for the Camden Public Library that, "honors the library’s storied history and foreshadows a bright future with exciting new ways to learn, engage, and explore," said a news release from the library and Naretiv.

“We are thrilled with this new brand,” said library Executive Director Kristy Kilfoyle, in the release. “It celebrates the Camden Public Library’s cherished position in our community and highlights the library’s never-ending journey to provoke exploration, learning, and growth in all kinds of new ways. The new brand is a mirror reflecting who we are, and a window into the many ways the library enriches our lives.”

Naretiv and the library spent weeks of discovery and research in the brand development process. This included stakeholder meetings, historical research, and reviews of library brands from across the country. That research found that the new logo should be “engaging, treasured, welcoming, and shared,” the release said.

The library ultimately selected a logo featuring an artistic interpretation of the library’s prominent front window, merged with graphics suggestive of Camden’s beautiful Mount Battie and the nearby ocean. Natural tones of blue and green enliven the design, and the illustrations are thoughtfully interwoven into the window itself, highlighting how natural beauty, imagination, and growth are central to the library and the town where the mountains meet the sea. 

The logo will occasionally appear with seasonal variations, and patrons will see the new brand expressed on library cards, signage, letterhead, business cards, newsletters and more. 

The Camden Public Library has been serving residents and charming visitors since 1928. A major expansion under the south lawn in 1996 expanded the library and its services. The library is beloved for many reasons, including its spectacular reading room, lovely Children’s Garden, the Jean S. Picker Memorial Garden, and its famed amphitheater designed by Boston landscape architect Fletcher Steele. 

The library also continuously reimagines new services, such as loaning out Orion StarBlast telescopes, lending discovery kits to help adults connect with kids, and providing online streaming services and computer tech help for residents. The library recently launched the Camden Seed Library, disseminating rare, local, and heirloom seed varieties to the community. Kilfoyle says the adventure has just begun, “We’ve got so much more to explore with Camden, and this new logo is just one step.”

For more information contact the Camden Public Library at  info@librarycamden.org. 207 236-3440.