BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County Library (BCL) has received two 2023 Florida Library Association (FLA) Awards, which honor outstanding Florida libraries, individuals, businesses and library supporters. The awards recognize two successful Broward County Library initiatives, BCL to Go - Workforce Ready and ASL (American Sign Language) Online class series. 

"Providing outstanding services to our customers is an essential part of Broward County Library's mission and purpose," says Broward County Library Director Allison Grubbs. "We are honored by the awards and look forward to creating new initiatives and programs to meet the changing needs of our communities." 

Broward County Library's winning 2023 Florida Library Association awards entries were:

Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award for Youth: ASL (American Sign Language) Online
Launched in June 2021, when all Broward libraries were closed to the public due to COVID-19, ASL Online is a free, virtual American Sign Language ten-class series for beginners that uses interactive video instruction to encourage conversation between students and with the class instructor. Students learn to sign words, phrases and complete sentences in the 45-minute classes, which also promote knowledge of Deaf culture. When libraries re-opened to the public, the curriculum was adjusted so that the final session of each series was held in person and is a celebration of Deaf culture, with students limited to communicating with each other only in ASL.

Libraries Mean Business Award: BCL to Go - Workforce Ready 
The BCL to Go - Workforce Ready initiative is designed to educate, inspire and help eliminate barriers to full-time, secure employment for job seekers in areas of Broward County experiencing chronic unemployment. Activities include providing qualified adults with portable, internet-equipped workstations to use for job searching, résumé writing, online interviews and professional development, as well as a workshop series offering in-person, intensive coaching on job-searching best practices. 

The 2023 FLA Awards will be presented at an upcoming FLA awards ceremony and reception at the 2023 FLA 2022 Annual Conference on May 19, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Florida

About Broward County Libraries
Broward County Libraries Division, named 2020 and 2015 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association, was founded in 1974 and is one of the largest and busiest library systems in Florida. Broward County Libraries Division's 37 locations provide 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 website, Broward.org/Library, or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.