(TUCSON, Ariz.) – The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) recently announced the Santa Rosa Library as one of its 2014 Top Innovators during the Next Libraries Conference held in Chicago. A panel of expert judges selected this year’s honorees from more than 180 applications in the fifth annual ULC Innovations Initiative.
Santa Rosa Library’s Snacks Program won an Honorable Mention in the category of Health, Wellness, and Public Safety.
ULC’s Innovations Initiative highlights member libraries’ programs, services and operating practices that demonstrate their leadership by creating new approaches and practices to ensure the public library continuously meeting the ever-changing needs of the community.
Caitlin Burns, a Library Associate at Santa Rosa Library, was inspired to start the program in collaboration with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, the Pima County Health Department, and the University of Arizona College of Nursing because of the strong correlation between nutrition and educational performance. “I always thought that a youth food program would be a natural fit for the public library due to how many children and teens rely on our resources every day.” “We’re proud to have a program that provides healthy snacks for some of our youngest patrons,” said Pima County Public Library Executive Director Melinda Cervantes. “It’s another way that we’re supporting the needs of the community and creating lifelong connections to the library.”
In announcing the 2014 Top Innovators, ULC President and CEO Susan Benton said that every library that submitted programs for the Innovations Awards this year demonstrates the amazing work that takes place in libraries every day.
“On behalf of the ULC community throughout North America, I congratulate the Santa Rosa Library for being selected as a 2014 Top Innovator. The library staff are commended for setting the pace for growth, change and innovation in the field,” Benton said. “Each submission highlights exactly how public libraries create value and impact in local communities.”
This is the second consecutive year that Pima County Public Library has been recognized by ULC for being innovative. Last year, the Library Nurse Program was honored as the Top Innovator in the Health, Wellness, and Public Safety category. Caitlin Burns would like to see the Snacks Program at Santa Rosa Library turn into something more. In fact, the Eckstrom-Columbus Library is planning to start an afterschool snack program this Fall. “If kids start coming to the library for snacks, they just might end up staying for the books, the story times, and the tutoring sessions, too!”
Read more about all of the ULC’s 2014 Top Innovators.
About Pima County Public Library The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving nearly one million people in Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.
About the Urban Libraries Council As a membership organization made up of America’s premier public library systems and the organizations that serve them, the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has spent more than 40 years enriching urban communities by strengthening their public libraries. While ULC members primarily represent urban and suburban libraries, lessons from their work are widely used by all libraries. ULC serves as a forum for thought leaders sharing best and next practices resulting from targeted research, education, and emerging trends. Our programs are recognized for creating new frameworks that invigorate public libraries and their communities.
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