The Hartford Public Library on Wednesday unveiled a new brand identity to coincide with the system’s 250th anniversary.
The new logo, an ‘H’ arranged out of stacked books, was debuted at a press conference at HPL’s main branch downtown, a facility currently undergoing renovation due to a pipe burst in December 2022.
“Refreshing our brand at this time allows us to align our physical space to our updated visual impression,” said HPL Board Vice Chair Karen Taylor. “In the days, weeks and months ahead, we will be hosting a number of community celebrations and we can’t wait to share our birthday festivities with the public at our library branches in neighborhoods in our diverse, beautiful city.”
On his third day in office, newly elected Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, a long-time HPL board member, said the new logo was emblematic of the library’s innovative approach to serving the public.
“I am so proud to sit across from the folks here at the library who are constantly thinking about what the future of this library looks like, how we can better serve the residents of this library,” Arulampalam said. “And this new logo, this new branding, is a visual representation of who this library is, a library that always changes, always evolves and always looks to better represent the city that it serves.”
Arulampalam said the many services HPL offers, from immigration help to aid for those experiencing homelessness, are vital to his stated goal of strengthening Hartford communities.
“I learned all of the things that libraries are doing in 2024 that they weren't doing when I was growing up: the social services that are provided for immigrant families, for young kids for after school support,” Arulampalam said. “For so many groups of people the libraries are so much more than just a repository of books, they're really the center of a lot of our services as a city.”
“It's really important to what we do as a city, and it's also an institution that's near and dear to my own heart.”
HPL CEO Bridget Quinn highlighted a new website featuring the new branding and programming over the course of 2024 that will honor the 250th anniversary.
“There are not many libraries…that can trace back their origins to before the country was a country,” Quinn said, noting that the United States turns 248 years old this July 4.
“This moment is literally 250 years in the making.”
Arunan Arulampalam's father-in-law is Gregory B. Butler, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of Connecticut Public.
