On October 3, the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) announced the six North American public libraries named as Top Innovators for 2024 as part of its annual Innovations Initiative. Denver Public Library; Gwinnett County Public Library, GA; Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL; San Francisco Public Library; Toronto Public Library, ON; and Virginia Beach Public Library (VBPL), VA, were recognized for their out-of-the-box thinking, measurable outcomes, and the potential for other libraries to replicate and implement the award-winning programs. Honorable mentions went to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA; New York Public Library; Broward County Library, FL; San Mateo County Libraries, CA; Pioneer Library System (PLS), OK; and Memphis Public Libraries, TN. All initiatives are ongoing.

In the Advocacy and Awareness category, “Bay Beats from the San Francisco Public Library” took the Top Innovator spot. The free music streaming platform, launched in 2023 to help support the local artist community impacted by the pandemic, spotlights Bay Area musicians. Its developers built a network with local music schools, influencers, and music store Amoeba Music to bring music makers and listeners together. Anyone can use the platform to discover new music whether or not they have a library card. Honorable mention went to “Get the Guide,” from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, a direct mail campaign featuring programs, events, library hours, and branch services that has contributed to an 80 percent increase in library attendance, more than 84,000 new cards issued, and has re-engaged more than 30,000 lapsed cardholders.

VBPL’s “Environmental STEM: Play and Learn” initiative, a Top Innovator in the Education: Children and Adults category, provides STEM learning opportunities for kids ages three to five. In Spring 2024, VBPL served 900 preschoolers across 60 classrooms through programming, activity kits, and access to high quality books about STEM for young learners. New York Public Library’s Teen Civics Ambassadors, a paid internship for high schoolers, took honorable mention. Teens gain civic and voting information, pass that knowledge along to their peers, and make a difference in their communities, boosting their critical thinking, self-esteem, and career potential.

In the Equity and Inclusion category, Miami-Dade Public Library System earned the Top Innovator recognition for its autism-friendly spaces. Provided in all branches, the spaces offer a variety of sensory-friendly programs and events designed for families and children with special needs and neurodiverse individuals. The library has been designated an Autism-Friendly Partner by the University of Miami–Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, and library staff receive training to help them better understand and welcome neurodivergent individuals and their families. This work will inform the design of new branches currently under construction. To the north, honorable mention recipient Broward County Library’s Black History Project Saturday School is a free series of classes for teens and young adults, designed by Black scholars, that supplement and enrich the Black History curricula taught in Florida public schools. More than 400 students have participated since 2023.

Denver Public Library partnered with local community-led nonprofit The Growhaus on a grant-supported weekly food box program at 14 branches to increase food access throughout the city, earning it the Top Innovator award for Health and Wellness. Since the partnership began in 2022, more than 30,000 fresh food boxes have been distributed and 633,000 meals provided, enhancing food access in neighborhoods where healthy, fresh food can be hard to come by. San Mateo County Libraries received an honorable mention for its partnership with local nonprofit Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse to support families with young children, using library resources for an inclusive initiative to address domestic violence through engagement and collaboration.

In October 2023, Toronto Public Library was hit by a systemwide ransomware attack that shut down its internal network, website, and public computers. The Top Innovator award for Library Operations and Management recognizes the measures the library took to keep all 100 branches open during the recovery period, continuing to provide access to staff expertise, collections—including staff-assisted borrowing and returns—study space, programming, and Wi-Fi. Honorable mention recipient PLS was forced to close its Central Library in fall 2023 because of mold. It relocated staff, materials, and tech from an 80,000-sq-ft building to a 1,900-sq.-ft. pop-up location, resulting in a new service model, more knowledgeable and connected staff, a record-breaking number of engaged customers, and a reimagined location, the PLS Library Lab.

Gwinnett County Public Library’s New Start Entrepreneurship Incubator, which took the Top Innovator spot in the Workforce and Economic Development category, supports formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs. The program provides business education with in-person classes, online coursework, and a network of mentors; a pitch event at the program’s end gives participants the opportunity to win funding for their business ideas. A new cohort will begin the program shortly. Memphis Public Libraries’ Innovator-In-Residence program received an honorable mention for connecting working creative professionals with patrons to help them learn marketable skills, grow their business savvy, and create support networks. The first innovator-in-residence helped design a podcasting studio at the library, mentored more than 40 new podcasters, and started the PODBOX Memphis Podcast festival.

The ULC Innovations Initiative has been recognizing creative and proactive solutions in libraries for 15 years, with the the Innovations Initiative database serving as a starting point for libraries developing new programs or seeking inspiration for a project. Visitors to the Innovations Initiative webpage can use the search or filter features in the database to narrow down the ideas presented.

“Groundbreaking work is happening every day at our public libraries, and the Urban Libraries Council is proud to spotlight these change makers through our Innovations Initiative,” said ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater. “For 15 years, the ULC Innovations Initiative has uplifted the impactful projects and organizational success of our member libraries throughout the U.S. and Canada. This year’s Top Innovators and Honorable Mentions exemplify the evolving role of libraries as dynamic public institutions that are integral to the fabric of our urban communities. These innovative projects confirm the powerful impact of libraries and how they actively shape the future of our cities.”