LA County Library was just named Library of the Year by Gale/Library Journal for its outstanding community support, equity and inclusion, and creation of innovative services and partnerships that support the Library’s mission.
As the 2019 Library of the Year, LA County Library will be featured on the cover of Library Journal’s (LJ’s) June 2019 issue, available in print and online, and will be honored at a reception at the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference 2019 in Washington, DC.
Established in 1992, the Library of the Year Award celebrates the library that most profoundly demonstrates service to the community; creativity and innovation in developing specific community programs; or has seen dramatic increase in library use and leadership in creating programs emulated by other libraries.
This is the third honor LA County Library has received in the past 12 months from Library Journal following their wins for 2019 Librarian of the Year (given to Skye Patrick, Library Director), and 2018 Marketer of the Year (given to the Marketing & Communications team for its efforts in rebranding the organization).
LA County Library is the first organization ever to win both Library of the Year and Librarian of the Year in the same calendar year, and the first organization to win all three awards in less than a year. These awards are in addition to three other recent national recognitions, among them, two National Association of Counties Achievement Awards for its iCount equity initiative, and The Great Read Away, a fine-forgiveness program for youth.
“This is a very exciting time for libraries, and LA County exemplifies the creativity and care brought to our communities every day by these vital institutions,” said Rebecca T. Miller, editorial director of Library Journal and School Library Journal. “We’ve been watching LA County Library under the leadership of Skye Patrick. This honor signals how effectively the organization has adapted and evolved to set a standard of service worth emulating.”