LA County Library won the American Library Association’s John Cotton Dana Library Award for its Park and Connect Free Outdoor Wi-Fi Program. The program allows Wi-Fi to be accessible outside 32 libraries in their parking lots, helping to address a digital divide amidst the pandemic. Locally, the program is available at the Lancaster Library, located at 601 West Lancaster Boulevard; the Littlerock Library, located at 35119 80th Street East; and the Quartz Hill Library, located at 5040 West Avenue M-2.
The library system’s marketing team promoted the service, targeting residents who lack internet access at their homes. The campaign resulted in nearly 111,000 Wi-Fi sessions logged.
LA County Library was one of seven winners receiving a $10,000 grant provided by the H.W. Wilson Foundation. The winners will be honored in Chicago at the 2022 ALA Annual Conference hosted by EBSCO Information Services.
The John Cotton Dana Awards were created in 1946 by the American Library Association and the H.W. Wilson Publishing Company, and library officials said the honors are considered one of the most prestigious accolades recognizing marketing and public relations.
[Information via news release from the LA County Library.]
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