Four libraries from Australia, the US, and Denmark, respectively, have been nominated for the Systematic Public Library of the Year which is awarded to the world’s best new public library.

Presentation  of the Systematic Public Library of the Year Award will be held at the conclsuion of the Public Libraries Sections Program at  the IFLA WLIC   in Columbus, Ohio, USA on 15 August.

The four nominees are:

  • Chicago Public Library, Chinatown Branch, USA
  • Dokk1, Aarhus, Denmark
  • Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, Australia
  • Success Public Library, Australia

The international panel of judges were highly impressed with the nominated libraries  expressed the following about the four nominated libraries. Read their comments at the Model Programme's Website.  

The ‘Systematic – Public Library of the Year’ award is part of the ‘Model Programme for Public Libraries‘ project of the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces and Realdania, and the prize is sponsored by the IT firm Systematic.

The purpose of the program is to develop the library of the future, so it takes into account, among other things, digital developments, user demands, local culture, and the desire to accommodate diverse population groups with an open and functional architectural expression.

The library must be a newly-built or refurbished in buildings that have not previously been used as a library. The opening of the new library must have taken place in the period between 1 January 2014 and 1 June 2016. The prize is for $5000.