BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Wisconsin Library Association has selected the Brown County Library as the 2023 WLA Library of the Year, in honor of its “distinguished achievement in service.”
Through a nomination and review process, the distinction is granted by the WLA based on a library’s commitment to innovation and its impact on library users and the local community.
Established in 1968, the Brown County Library system — which consists of the Central Library, eight branches and a bookmobile — serves 80% of Brown County’s households.
“People are our purpose, and this is intentionally woven into Brown County Library’s identity and work,” said Executive Director Sarah Sugden in a news release.
The library system works to meets the needs of the community in a variety of ways, including:
Being host sites for school summer lunch programs
Providing dedicated space for a hydroponic vertical farm that grows fresh lettuce, free for the taking
Distributing free hats made by volunteers in the winter months
Serving as collection sites for community diaper and blanket drives
Offering indoor and outdoor spaces for larger-scale programs like Ren Faire, Summer Reading Program events, and Pop Con™
Collaborating with community partners is another area of emphasis for the Brown County Library.
It works with Achieve Brown County to increase awareness of declining reading proficiency rates among local third graders, as well as with Career Navigators with Worker Connection — a program offered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development which offer job seekers employment assistance on-site.
Additionally, the library system provides the community with much-needed access to technology, such as computers, laptops, printers, photocopiers, Internet hotspots and mobile device charging stations.
The Brown County Library will receive the 2023 Library of the Year award at a ceremony on Oct. 26 during the Wisconsin Library Association’s annual conference in Middleton.
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