Florida Library of the Year Named Library of the Future

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Jun 16, 2020, 13:00 ET

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla., June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Broward County Libraries (BCL), Florida's 2020 Library of the Year, has been selected as the 2020 Library of the Future by the American Library Association/Information Today, Inc. This prestigious national award recognizes innovative planning, application or development of information technology for library users.

BCL received this award for a creative solution to bridging language barriers between customers and staff with a strategic use of Amazon Echo devices in all BCL locations. The use of these devices at service points is a key component of BCL's Project Welcome initiative, which welcomes English-language learners to the area, informs them of vital library resources, and supports them on their journey to English literacy, economic prosperity and belonging.

BCL's Project Welcome also earned a 2020 National Association of Counties Achievement Award, as did BCL's "Library Services on Air, Land and Sea," an initiative that expands access to library services in unexpected places, including the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, public buses, county parks and Port Everglades.

In addition to these recent national honors, the Florida Library Association (FLA) selected BCL as the 2020 Florida Library of the Year for outstanding service to the community. Project Welcome won FLA's Library Innovation Award, which recognizes a Florida library that has displayed innovative methods, projects, products, or organizational enhancements. BCL also received the 2020 Florida Library Association's Excellence in Marketing and Public Relations Award for the Broward County FLLibrary, a satellite library location in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that promotes the library's online services.

"Broward County Library is honored to have received numerous awards over the past few years both at the state and national level," says Broward County Library Director Kelvin Watson. "These numerous accolades, however, are just the icing on the cake. The real reward is knowing the positive impact the library system is having on the lives of individuals in our community. Broward County Library will continue to pursue every possible avenue to invite the uninvited and respond to the needs of those who need us most in our community."

Project Welcome was funded through a grant from the Florida Department of State Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

For more information about Broward County Library, please visit About BCL.

SOURCE Broward County Libraries