We are delighted to name four winners of the 16th EIFL Public Library Innovation Award, for Public libraries enabling learning through play. 

The 16th award is supported by the LEGO Foundation, as part of the Foundation’s Build a World of Play campaign. The LEGO Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that children globally have every opportunity to learn through play, which develops in them essential skills to thrive in life and reach their full potential. 

The award seeks to showcase public library programmes and activities that promote children’s holistic development, unlock essential skills and boost wellbeing for life. Congratulations to - 

• Biblioteca de la Creatividad in Colombia, which takes children on a playful journey that inspires them with a spirit of entrepreneurship and gives them the skills needed to create sustainable solutions to challenges faced in their community.
• Eastlands Library in Kenya, which provides children with a wide range of creative learning through play activities, including storytelling, drawing, drama, building objects out of safe waste, and board games like chess and scrabble, in the safe space of the library after school hours.
• Naujoji Vilnia Library in Lithuania, which helps children and families who are struggling to cope with emotional, mental health and behavioural problems to heal and build social relationships by engaging in therapeutic reading and storytelling activities in a virtual gaming environment.
• Public Library ‘Radislav Nikčević’ in Serbia, which is improving children’s reading comprehension skills, imagination and creativity, and helping them to build friendships and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them by providing rich learning through play experiences.

Winning libraries will each receive a prize of US$1,500, a certificate and a trophy. 

The winners will also be celebrated at NEXT LIBRARY® 2023 in Aarhus, Denmark. With support from the LEGO Foundation, representatives of the winning libraries will attend and contribute to the NEXT Library Festival, an international gathering of forward-thinking library professionals, innovators and decision-makers organized by Aarhus Public Libraries. The festival will take place from 14-16 May 2023.

Thank you to the winners and to the many other applicants who sent us stories about their innovative services. 

The EIFL Public Library Innovation Awards recognize innovative library services and programmes that use ICT to improve lives and livelihoods in developing and transition countries. Find out more, and meet all the winners.