Vintage Library Book Card Projects

I cannot believe that something I used so regularly as a kid is now considered vintage. When did that happen? I remember how fun it was to look and see who had checked each book out before me and when. It was awesome! I miss that. One day I found a template website and when I saw the Library Card Book Pocket Template, my mind started reeling! Here are a few projects that were inspired by those library book cards:

#1. My very first Artist Trading Card!

I scaled everything down to business card size and designed it in my own wacky way using Microsoft Excel for the blank card and Publisher for the rest. To make the pocket, you can reduce the size easily using the rulers as guides. When you're happy with the size and scale, print it onto heavy card and cut it out. Then, trace your template onto a manila envelope with a pencil.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory; cut it out, fold, glue and erase the visible pencil marks if there are any. If you want the envelope to be more authentic, just shorten the side with the tabs.
Here are the mock-ups for my ATCs. My pony will be changing soon and I think I might want the title on the top (even though real library cards always put the author first... what is my OCD side going to do?)
I am pretty happy with the overall design. What do you think? Any advice?

#2. Bullet Point Handout for Job Interviews

My sister recently moved back after a few years in a different state. She is a school teacher and right now, it is nearly impossible to get a teaching job in our area. Before one of her interviews, she was told that the interview board liked getting some sort of hand out to refer to quickly in addition to the regular resume/paperwork stuff they already had. To make hers stand out without going over the top, we came up with a quarter-page library card-esque hand out.
I love the way they turned out and guess what? She got a job!! It wasn't THAT particular job and, well, technically, it had absolutely nothing to do with these handouts, but I believe that the effort put into these helped her gain the confidence and.... naw, she just has a great resume and reputation! I still think they turned out super-cute!

#3. Reading Log

Now that my daughter is in First Grade, there is a lot more required reading involved. I don't ever have to worry about her completing those types of assignments because she loves to read, but I do have to worry about recording it. I still used the quarter-page size for mine, but the standard sized cards would work well or even better, you can find places on Etsy or Ebay or just through a search engine that still sell the real deals.
If you own the book, I think it would be cute to keep one of these at the back of the book and record who read it and when. For assignments or logging, this makes a fantastic bookmark!
Here is a really simple template I made. Feel free to use it for your creative projects! Just click, copy and paste.
I really want to get my hands on some real ones now! There are a ton of projects you can do with them. You can use them for thank-you notes, save-the-date announcements, scrapbooking, gift tags, or check out this amazing necklace from Etsy-seller, Librarianship:So cool! Well, we are off to the library! Maybe I can score some there....