BROWARD COUNTY, FL - The award-winning Broward County Library (BCL) has been selected for yet another national honor, winning the prestigious 2020 Power of Libraries award, bestowed by SirsiDynix, the leading provider of library technology solutions worldwide. BCL was one of only three libraries nationwide to receive The Power of Libraries Award, given annually to acknowledge the work libraries do to support and uplift their communities.
BCL was chosen for the Power of Libraries award for its exceptional constellation of programs for veterans and military families. Among those programs are Veterans Connect, offering circulating internet “hotspots” for checkout; an annual Vet Fest providing a day of entertainment in tandem with a benefits expo, informing vets of library services, housing, financial opportunities and health and wellness community resources; and an ongoing Veteran’s History Project records which preserves the stories of local veterans for its archives and the Library of Congress.
The 2020 Power of Libraries award was presented at the Connections Summit: Directors Edition, an annual online conference for library directors watched by nearly 3,000 people.
Under the leadership of Broward County Library Director Kelvin Watson, Florida Library Association's 2019 Librarian of the Year, library programs and staff recently earned local, statewide and national recognition, including 2020 Library of the Year and 2020 Library of the Future.
The library was named 2020 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association (FLA), as a Florida library that has demonstrated outstanding service to its community by providing creative or innovative programming and expanding library services to the community, specifically in recognition of the “Air, Land and Sea” campaign to bring library services to parks, public buses, the Fort Lauderdale International Airport and other novel venues.
Broward County Library was also chosen as 2020 Library of the Future, by the American Library Association (ALA) and Information Today Inc., for innovative planning, application or development of information technology that supports library users, specifically in recognition of its use of the Amazon Echo device to bridge language barriers as part of its Project Welcome initiative.
Among other accolades and 2020 achievements, the library also garnered three National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards and six National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) Awards of Excellence.
About Broward County Libraries Division
Broward County Libraries Division, named 2020 and 2015 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association, was founded in 1974 and is the largest library system in Florida by square footage and one of the busiest, with more than 7.5 million walk-in customers visiting its 38 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 website, Broward.org/Library, or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.
DATE: August 4, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine McElrath
Libraries Division
PHONE: 954-357-7402
EMAIL: cmcelrath@Broward.org