MACC Receives International Library Award
Greensboro, NC – October 1, 2026, On Thursday, November 19, 2026, the international nonprofit Let’s Move in Libraries honors Merriweather Arts and Culture Center alongside nine other organizations from across North America and Asia. They will be recipients of the 2026 I Partner with My Public Library Award in an official online ceremony at 2 PM EST. The 2026 cohort includes the first awardee ever recognized outside North America.
Merriweather Arts and Culture Center was nominated by Howard County Library System (HCLS) for helping transform Battle of the Books, a fifth-grade literacy competition, into a signature community celebration of reading. Since the event moved to Merriweather in 2022, more than 1,800 fifth graders and their coaches have gathered annually for an experience that brings together students, families, educators, volunteers, community leaders, and local organizations. By opening its world-class performance venue to young readers and working closely with HCLS to create an engaging, large-scale event, Merriweather has helped elevate reading as an achievement worthy of celebration while connecting thousands of families with the arts and cultural center.
A team of 23 expert reviewers spanning 16 states and provinces convened during September 2026 to examine 31 nominations submitted during Summer 2026 by public libraries in 13 U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and the Philippines. Every nomination was read independently by four to five reviewers, who scored each one against seven published criteria — the durability of the relationship, the community need it addresses, the human story behind it, the evidence of impact, the contribution each partner makes, the structure of the working relationship, and whether another library could act on it.
“These annual awards were started in 2023 after a three-year national (U.S.) study determined that the most impactful public library initiatives require strong community partnerships with a wide range of collaborators. We’re thrilled to shine a light on library partnerships through this endeavor,” said Dr. Noah Lenstra, Founder of Let’s Move In Libraries, a registered 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.
In addition to being celebrated at this Awards Ceremony, the partnership between Merriweather Arts and Culture Center and HCLS is documented and shared on the Let’s Move in Libraries webpage. Read more about the award and the partnership here. Full information on the 2026 Award Winners will be posted November 19, 2026.
The goal of these annual awards is two-fold: (1) to celebrate the amazing work that is only possible when public libraries collaborate with community partners, and (2) to highlight opportunities for both public libraries and potential community partners to start and extend collaborations.
The full list of 2026 Awardees is:
● Fountain Run Women’s Group, nominated by William B Harlan Memorial Library, Monroe County, Kentucky, USA
● Merriweather Arts and Culture Center, nominated by Howard County Library System, Ellicott City, Maryland, USA
● B3 | Being, Belonging, Becoming, nominated by Chapel Hill Public Library, North Carolina, USA
● Department of Education – Schools Division Office of Makati City (DepEd Makati), nominated by Makati City Library, Makati City, Philippines
● E3 Community Services, nominated by Collingwood Public Library, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
● Community Seed Bank Committee of the NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Gaston County, nominated by Gaston County Public Library, Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
● CASA by the Lakes, nominated by Marshall County Public Library, Kentucky, USA
● Bullitt County Health Department, nominated by Bullitt County Public Library, Kentucky, USA
● The Bonanza Restaurant, nominated by Pembroke Public Library, Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
● Reach Across Hill County, nominated by Hillsboro City Library, Hillsboro, Texas, USA
“Complex community needs can only be addressed through community collaborations,” said Dr. Lenstra. “This year that truth reached further than it ever has. For the first time these awards travel beyond North America, and they honor partners as different as a women’s group that turned a retired bookmobile into a village branch, a health department that made a library the front door to mental health care, and a restaurant that lends its dining room to a community choir.”
CONTACT: Sahana Callahan (sahana.callahan@hclibrary.org; Christie Lassen (christie.lassen@hclibrary.org)
