DATE: May 12, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine McElrath
Libraries Division
EMAIL: cmcelrath@Broward.org
PHONE: 954-357-7402
BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County Library (BCL) has received three prestigious awards from the Florida Library Association (FLA), including Florida's 2015 Library of the Year. BCL also won the Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award for Teen Programming for its "Show Us Your Bookface" contest/exhibition and FLA's Libraries Mean Business Award for its "Broward County Libraries Mean Business!" campaign.
Award recipients were selected from a large number of applicants for the quality of their service to their local communities and to the library profession. Awards will be presented during FLA's annual conference, held May 13-15, 2015 at the Caribe Royale Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
"It is an honor for Broward County Library to be recognized by the Florida Library Association and to be named the 2015 Library of the Year," says Skye Patrick, Director of Broward County Libraries Division. "The three awards are a demonstration of Broward County Library's dedication to innovative customer service and programming for our communities in Broward County."
In celebration of the Library of the Year award, Broward County Library will issue a special, limited edition library card commemorating the honor. The library card will be available to customers in mid May 2015.
Library of the Year was awarded to Broward County Library as a result of its innovation and its dedication to providing excellent first-class service to library customers of all ages. With programs, events and service launches designed specifically for today's library customer, BCL has engaged the community with S.T.E.M. (science/technology/engineering/math) literacy programs and an emphasis on the Maker's Movement and Do It Yourself (DIY) programs. BCL also provides library customers, including children and teens, with top-notch services that address the changing needs of a tech-savvy society, including the launch of the Creation Station, the first free community makerspace/gadget lab in Broward County.
The recipient of the Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award for Teen Programming, "Show Us Your Bookface," is an innovative program in which teens had the opportunity to get creative by using a book cover to augment or obscure any part of their body with a book cover. Teens created the illusion that they "merged" themselves with their favorite book. Teens then submitted pictures of themselves to the library to enter the contest. The photographs were then used to create an oversized banner that was unveiled at the grand re-opening ceremony of Main Library in December 2014. Multiple banners have also been created for display at BCL locations countywide.
BCL's system-wide campaign, "Broward County Libraries Mean Business!" created programming to assist small business and entrepreneurial enterprises as well as raise awareness of the many business-related resources, assistance and support the library has available. It was launched in conjunction with former Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief's 2014 leadership theme, "Broward Means Business." As libraries move into the 21st century, BCL is positioning itself as a valued "commodity" for small businesses, job seekers, employers and entrepreneurs.
For further information and high-resolution images or to arrange interview opportunities with Broward County Library Director Skye Patrick, please contact Catherine McElrath, 954-357-7402, cmcelrath@Broward.org.
The award-winning Broward County Libraries Division, founded in 1974, is the largest library system in Florida by square footage and one of the busiest, with more than nine million walk-in customers visiting its 37 locations annually. Broward County Libraries Division provides convenient access to a full range of innovative and cost-effective services that satisfy the changing needs of the people of Broward County for information, education and recreation. Visit our web site, Broward.org/Library or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.