In 2025, two Brooklyn icons — the New York Liberty and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) — are joining forces. Their partnership focuses on something bigger than basketball: encouraging kids and families to read, learn, and feel connected to their community.
This collaboration blends sports and literacy in a way that’s practical and welcoming. It brings attention to education, celebrates local success, and gives residents more reasons to visit their local library.
Brooklyn personal injury lawyers care about the well-being of our borough. We support community-driven projects that make a positive impact, especially those that promote learning and youth development. That’s why we’re excited to share the details of this unique initiative.
Limited-Edition Library Cards Featuring the Liberty
Starting June 2, 2025, the Brooklyn Public Library will begin issuing 100,000 limited-edition library cards that feature the 2024 WNBA champions, the New York Liberty, along with their mascot, Ellie the Elephant.
These cards are available to anyone who works, lives, pays property taxes, or gets to school in New York State. If you’re eligible for a library card, you’re eligible for this one.
Each card includes vibrant artwork showing the team’s spirit, Ellie’s playful energy, and a nod to the Liberty’s historic championship win. For fans, it’s a small piece of history. For readers, it’s a reason to use their local library more often.
Summer Reading and Basketball, Together
The new cards are just one part of a broader collaboration. The Brooklyn Basketball initiative, which brings together the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty, focuses on youth development through sports. It includes clinics, camps, and outreach events that give young athletes new opportunities to grow on and off the court.
Alongside this, the Liberty and BPL are working together to support the Summer Reading Program — an annual effort by the library to keep kids and teens engaged with books during the school break.
To make reading more fun and accessible, Ellie the Elephant has even created her own summer reading list. The books on her list cover themes like teamwork, basketball, community, confidence, and women in sports. The goal is to help kids see reading as something that fits naturally into their lives, whether they’re into sports, stories, or both.
Celebrate Ellie’s Birthday at Barclays Center
Before the library cards launch, there’s one more way to get involved: Ellie the Elephant’s birthday party at Barclays Center on June 1, 2025.
The celebration will take place during the Liberty’s home game against the Connecticut Sun. Fans in attendance can enjoy a variety of book-themed activities, including:
- A BPL bookmobile parked right outside the arena
- A themed photo booth
- Free Ellie bookmarks with QR codes that link directly to her reading list
It’s a fun, low-pressure way to introduce reading to kids who might not normally think of the library as “their” space. And it connects entertainment with education in a way that feels natural — not forced.
Honoring Leadership and Community Work
The collaboration has already received recognition. On June 11, 2025, Keia Clarke, CEO of the New York Liberty, will receive the Brooklyn Public Library Gala Award for her leadership and commitment to community outreach.
The award will be presented by Jacqueline Woodson, a well-known author and advocate for youth literature. It’s a fitting moment that brings together sports, literacy, and local leadership — all things that shape Brooklyn’s identity.
By promoting access to books and spotlighting literacy, this partnership supports the idea that libraries should be everywhere — not just in buildings, but in arenas, schools, and homes too.
Why This Matters
This initiative makes real impact in a few key ways:
- It encourages reading by connecting it to something kids already care about: sports.
- It builds access, with library cards and booklists that reach across borough lines and neighborhoods.
- It supports visibility, especially for women in sports and leadership.
- It reminds families that the library is still one of the best free resources a city can offer.
For many kids, seeing a basketball team care about books sends a strong message. It says you can be athletic and smart, competitive and curious, playful and thoughtful — all at once.
Final Thoughts
This year, the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Liberty are showing what’s possible when community institutions work together. They’re using what they do best — literacy and sports — to create something that supports education, youth, and pride in Brooklyn.
At Brooklyn Injury Attorneys, P.C., we’re proud to support programs that help our neighborhoods thrive. Whether it’s through reading, playing, or simply showing up, these are the kinds of partnerships that bring lasting value to our borough.
We encourage everyone to join in — sign up for a library card, check out Ellie’s reading list, and take your kids to a Liberty game. Sometimes, it really is the simple things that make the biggest difference.