THIRTEEN exciting innovation award calls launched since 2011

The EIFL Public Library Innovation Awards are open to all public and community libraries in developing and transition countries. The calls highlight important community development issues.

Winners receive a prize of US$1,500, a trophy, a certificate, and publicity through EIFL’s website and wide network of contacts.

Since 2011 EIFL has completed 12 innovation award calls and announced the names of 43 winners in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Our new award, for public libraries that are teaching digital skills in innovative ways, is now open for applications. The applications deadline is 25 November 2019. Find out more about this award and how to apply. 

Meet the winners of pAST awards

Public libraries protecting the environment

• Bulgaria – ‘Peyo Yavorov’ Regional Library, whose environmental education campaign has inspired children to collect plastic waste for recycling
• Bulgaria – ‘Peyo Yavorov’ Regional Library, which is using cutting edge technology to teach young people about the causes and effects of climate change
• Colombia – Kankuaka Public Library, which is using multi-media technology to raise children’s awareness about the need to protect their mountain ecosystem
• Poland – Cyberiada public library, which has inspired children to take action to protect the environment through their environmental education service

Public libraries contributing to community economic wellbeing

• Chile – Public Library No. 56 El Bollenar increases women’s design skills and handicraft sales
• Kenya - Kenya National Library Service / Meru Public Library, which is changing young people’s attitudes to farming by combining ICT, entrepreneurship and agricultural training
• Nepal – Agyauli Community Library and Resource Centre improves farmers livelihoods
• Philippines – Butuan City Library offers a package of e-government support and computer literacy services to improve incomes
• Serbia – Belgrade City Library helps people understand and manage their money
• St Lucia – Micoud Public Library, whose computer and job-seeking skills training programme is building young people’s confidence to seek work.
• Uganda – Kawempe Youth Centre (KYC) inspires young entrepreneurs to start businesses

Public libraries contributing to community health

• Romania – ‘Gh. Asachi’ County Library Iași, lifesaving First Aid and health education programme
• ​Romania – Pietrari Local Public Library helps overweight members of their community get back in shape
• Uganda – Hoima Public Library – e-health corner battles life-threatening diseases

Public libraries contributing to social inclusion in the community

• Colombia – Public Library ‘Fernando Gómez Martinez’, combating stigma against people living with disability
• Croatia – ‘Fran Galovic’ Public Library, building trust between Roma and Croatian children
• Croatia – ‘Fran Galovic’ Public Library, which is improving the lives of seniors through a volunteer-based smartphone training programme
• Poland – Twardogóra Public Library, bringing seniors into the internet era
• Uganda – Kitengesa Community Library, including the deaf among those who hear
• Ukraine – Luhansk Region Universal Scientific Library named after A. N. Gorky, reaching out to people living with disability

Public libraries contributing to open government

• Lithuania – Šiauliai County ‘Povilas Visinkis’ Public Library, e-government training programme creates dialogue between citizens and officials
• Moldova – Public Law Library ‘B. P. Hasdeu’ Municipal Library, online legal database which provides free public access to decisions of the Chisinau Municipal Council
• Ukraine  – Central City Library ‘M. Lermontov’ in Melitopol, Ukraine, for successfully engaging citizens in a major urban development initiative
• Ukraine – Central Library 'M. L. Kropyvnytskyi' and the Mykolaiv Centralized Library System for Adults, Citizen Service Centres promote interaction between citizens and local government officials

Public libraries empowering women and girls

• Brazil – ‘Argentina Lopes Tristão’ Public Library in Domingos Martins empowers vulnerable women through digital skills training
• Guatemala – Rija’tzuul Na’ooj Library in San Juan la Laguna, empowering talented women weavers
• Nepal – READ Information and Resource Centre in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, empowering women slum-dwellers to find jobs and start small businesses

Creative use of ICT in public libraries 

• Colombia – Public Library San Javier-La Loma’s mapping project makes their community visible online
• Croatia – Rijeka City Library’s interactive online magazine inspires young writers and artists
• Estonia – Tallinn Central Library, pioneering e-book lending service in Estonia
• Lithuania - Plungė Municipal Clock Tower Library boosts tourism through a virtual tour of one of Lithuania’s prime historical sites
• Poland – Olsztyn Municipal Public Library’s ICT laboratory enables people to compose music, produce movies, make moving robots, and much more

Public libraries contributing to education 

• Cameroon – ‘Cercle de lecture et d’animation culturelle’ (CLAC), whose mobile library  service offers online mathematics and computer coding classes to under-resourced schools
• Kenya – ‘Dr Robert Ouko’ Memorial Community Library, for providing children with desperately needed textbooks, literature and reference books through an e-readers programme
• ​Kenya – Kenya National Library Service: two public library children's programmes use ICT to support education in remote areas: Kisumu and Buruburu
• ​Kenya – KNLS Thika Public Library, for their tablet computer education outreach service for children who cannot come to the library
• Latvia – Pelči Library, whose ‘Little school of local history’ is educating children about history in an exciting way
• Lithuania – Kaunas Municipal ‘Vincas Kudirka’ Public Library which provides a dynamic and practical electronics, 3D design and computer coding education programme to motivate young people to take up careers in technology and engineering
• Mexico – Public Library ‘Victoria Dorantes’ No. 382, whose online education programme is helping to build a positive learning environment in families
• Moldova – ‘B. P. Hasdeu’ Municipal Library, which has created a dynamic summer learning centre in a city amusement park

Public libraries contributing to literacy

• Colombia – Biblioteca Oasis del Saber, which offers an intensive 10-month literacy course that is transforming the lives of teenagers and adults
• Kenya – Buruburu Public Library’s mobile digital librarian brings the magic of e-books to hundreds of children who do not have access to books
• Ukraine – Lviv Regional Children's Library, which uses a computer game to teach children and adults to read and write using the Ukrainian alphabet