The Las Vegas–Clark County Library District wins the ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award

CHICAGO — The Las Vegas–Clark County Library District has been selected to receive the 2023 ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award. The award, sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and Information Today Inc., annually recognizes innovative planning, application, or development of focused patron support relating to information technology in libraries and is given to an individual library or library consortium, group, or support organization.

The Las Vegas–Clark County Library District has been selected to receive the 2023 ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award for its “Cell Phone Lending Program”, for partnering with T-Mobile & Premier Wireless, The Nevada Homeless Alliance, and The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. The program objective was to bridge social technology gaps by aiding low-income residents and those unhoused with wireless communication and internet services. With preloaded library apps, the smartphone lending initiative provided access to more than 50 social service agencies, job training skills, business & career development, health & wellness, and electronic-based library resources all powered by 5G connectivity.

The smartphones are loaned for an 18-month period. Concluding the lending period, recipients have the option to keep their smartphone, assigned phone number, and arrange a contract with a selected wireless service provider at their own expense. Centered on community, The Cell Phone Lending Program serves as a premier gateway into convenience and dynamic social mobility. Given the initiative, many underserved communities will be positioned to exercise self-sufficiency.  Also, recipients can enjoy library access to stream-able music, eAudiobooks & eBooks, movies, magazines & newspaper articles, digital comics, international language courses, and creative writing tools.

As a result of this initiative, LVCCLD seeks to continue the Kelvin Watson, Executive Director, philosophy of “Libraries Without Walls” via outreach to the Clark County, Nevada community. The Cell Phone Lending Program serves as a quintessential demonstration of modern public library support by implementing innovative community-based services. Effectively, the Cell Phone Lending Program offers equitable access to discoverability – the only requirement is answering the call of opportunity to facilitate social connection.

Information Today Inc., a publishing company, is a leader in providing libraries with resources to meet knowledge management needs.

The 2023 ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award jury members include: U. Chinedu Amaefula, Special Collections Department Manager, The Nashville Public Library, Chair; Dr. Michelle A. Robertson, Assistant Professor, The University of Central Oklahoma; and Andrea Lapsley, President, Texas Library and Archives Foundation.

The ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award will be presented to The Las Vegas–Clark County (Nev.) Library District during the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

More information on the ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award and how to submit a nomination is available on the ALA website www.ala.org