6/2/2015
Broward County Library Receives Three Prestigious Awards from the Florida Library Association Including "Library of the Year"
Broward County Library Receives Three Prestigious Awards from the
Florida Library Association Including "Library of the Year"
DATE: May 12, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine McElrath
Libraries Division EMAIL: cmcelrath@Broward.org PHONE: 954­357­7402
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.
To commemorate the Library
of the Year honor, BCL will
issue a limited­edition library
card.
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 13­15, 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 first­class 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 top­notch services that
address the changing needs of a tech­savvy 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
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6/2/2015
Broward County Library Receives Three Prestigious Awards from the Florida Library Association Including "Library of the Year"
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 re­opening ceremony of
Main Library in December 2014. Multiple banners have also been created for display at BCL
locations countywide.
BCL's system­wide campaign, "Broward County Libraries Mean Business!" created
programming to assist small business and entrepreneurial enterprises as well as raise
awareness of the many business­related 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 high­resolution images or to arrange interview opportunities with
Broward County Library Director Skye Patrick, please contact Catherine McElrath, 954­357­
7402, cmcelrath@Broward.org.
The award­winning 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
walk­in customers visiting its 37 locations annually. Broward County Libraries Division provides
convenient access to a full range of innovative and cost­effective 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. Release Properties
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5/12/2015 11:09 AM
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Libraries, District 1, District 3, District 5, District 6, District 7
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