INNOVATION

Innovation is crucial to enable libraries to improve and expand service delivery and to remain relevant for users, now and in the future.
Share your snapshots of innovation in action, showcase ideas and initiatives to inspire others. What new challenges have led to quick, innovative solutions?  How might libraries turn the challenges of rapid and dramatic transformation into opportunities for new services, policies and ideas?  What new technologies and tools has your developed or used and what was the impact? How are library spaces being used differently and how has creative programming enabled new outcomes to be realised? What organisational structures enable innovation and engage staff and users in achieving innovative outcomes? How does your library support your community to explore their own innovation and creativity?

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Libraries ensure that people from diverse communities have access to the information they need when they need it.
How can libraries co-create opportunities for exchange with our vibrant and diverse communities? What library initiatives, partnerships or innovations help to remove barriers and engage people of all ages from diverse communities?
From strategies to increase digital inclusion; co-creating new initiatives with your library user community; creating opportunities to listen to and learn from perspectives that we are not familiar with, responding to accessibility challenges; providing access to publicly-funded and international research, initiatives to attract and support a diverse library workforce. What creative and innovative possibilities is your library working on to address diversity, equity and inclusion? How might libraries facilitate connections across divides—physical, social, cultural or technological?

ENABLING LITERACIES

Libraries are essential to connect people with literature and facilitate literacy.
As a result of COVID-19 related employment and economic pressures, libraries are experiencing an upsurge in people needing support to move ahead with their lives. What does your library do to promote information literacy; develop critical thinking; engage users in reading for pleasure; support people to negotiate fake news and misinformation; and engage with the education sector to support life-long learning?

IMPACT AND VALUE 

Cultural institutions such as libraries, museums and archives are more important than ever.

Libraries must collect evidence and use it to tell the story of their impact to stakeholders. How does your library measure what matters; use evaluation to understand the wants, needs and motivations of your users and potential users; and communicate effectively about the impact your library makes in your community? How might libraries encourage risk, experimentation and learn from failure?

COMMUNITY SUPPORT, ENGAGEMENT AND TRANSFORMATION

Libraries work to promote community engagement and transformation.
Community engagement is the process of where libraries work collaboratively with community members – library users, faculty, students, professionals and partner organisations to address issues for the betterment of the community. What exceptional and innovative strategies and actions has your library taken to engage, support and transform communities?

COLLECTING, PRESERVING AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO OUR HERITAGE

Libraries play a vital role in ‘telling stories of the now’ for our future generations.
Without accessible documentary evidence of where a society has come from, it cannot understand itself or move forward. Collecting, preserving and providing access to the documentary heritage; and responding to bi-culturalism and decolonisation is a key role for libraries. How can libraries and other cultural institutions respond to indigenous peoples’ aspirations of self-determination over their knowledge and information, and ensure whare taonga and Māori data is accessible to iwi? What role can libraries play in providing local history resources to support the delivery of New Zealand history at schools?