Monthly Archives: September 2022

IFLA/Systematic Public Library of the Year Award 2022

A white man with a blue shirt and navy jacket

Sander van Kempen, IFLA Public Libraries Section and member of the 2022 judges panel for the award writes:
“What a great public library of the year award it was this year! It was so great to have a live and in person award ceremony and I enjoyed it so much. You can watch a recording of the event on You Tube.

I was honoured to ask the short listed libraries a question. I am part of the jury as well as part of the IFLA SC public libraries and found it very tough to choose a winner. I think the entire short listed libraries are winners. They are all very different and beautiful libraries and all deserve a visit. See the short list below.

  • Missoula Library, United States, winner!
  • Ogre Library, Latvia
  • Gellerup Library, Denmark
  • Itra Library, Saudi Arabia

You can also find out more about the short list here: Four impressive libraries nominated for the Public Library of the Year 2022 award (systematic.com)

You can also find more information about the winner here: World’s best new public library found (systematic.com)

It gave me a lot of energy to be part of the process and I look forward to next years award. As you may know there were a total of 20 libraries from 18 countries that applied to the public library of the year award 2022 and if you think the short list consists of different libraries, think again!

I wanted to share the entire list of applicants for the award because there are many other fascinating libraries that deserve the recognition, so see below the list of 20 applications of the award in alphabetical order:

Biblioteca de Sant Climent de Llobregat, Spain

Choa Chu Kang Public Library, Singapore

Clinton-Macomb Public Library North Branch, USA

Edgeworthstown Community Library, Ireland

Forest Library (Orman Kütüphanesi), Turkey

Gellerup Library, Aarhus Public Libraries, Denmark

Guanajuato State Congress Library, Mexico

Ithra Library, Saudi Arabia

Lacina Diarrassouba, Ivory Coast

Misr Public Library (MPL) (Ezbet El Borg), Egypt

Missoula Public Library, USA *

Nuevo Occidente Library Park, Lusitania, Colombia

Ogre Central Library, Latvia

Peyo K. Yavorov Regional Library, Bulgaria

Sanshui Library, China

Shirak Regional Library SNCO, Republic of Armenia

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, New York, USA

Tagum City Library and Learning Commons, Philippines

Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini, Takaanini Library & Community Hub, New Zealand

Yazd Central Library, Iran

I look forward to the award ceremony in Rotterdam next year. Hopefully we will have some great applications from all over the world again and a much deserved winner.

Sander van Kempen
Member of SC Public Libraries and member of jury of the public library of the year award.