New Canaan Library Named Finalist for Prestigious International Library of the Year Award

New Canaan Library Named Finalist for Prestigious International Library of the Year Award

New Canaan, Conn., [July 15, 2025] — New Canaan Library has been named one of three global finalists for the 2025 Public Library of the Year Award, presented by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and sponsored by Baker & Taylor.

This esteemed international award recognizes newly constructed public libraries that seamlessly integrate open, functional architecture with innovative, sustainable digital solutions—while staying deeply rooted in local culture and community needs.

According to IFLA’s official announcement, the award is presented to “a library somewhere in the world that has best managed to combine open and functional architecture with sustainable and creative IT solutions and has included both digital developments and local culture.”

Among the three finalists chosen from around the world, New Canaan Library is the only one representing the United States. The other two nominees are Gabrielle-Roy Library, Québec, Canada and Heping Library, Shanghai, China.

“This international recognition is a testament to the extraordinary collaboration, vision, and dedication that shaped New Canaan Library,” said Ellen Sullivan Crovatto, Chief Executive Officer. “Our design was guided at every step by the needs and aspirations of our community. We’re deeply grateful to our architectural partners at Centerbrook for translating that vision into a beautiful and functional reality. To be included among this global shortlist is a profound honor.”

“We are immensely proud of how our dedicated staff has brought this remarkable building to life by providing exceptional service to the community every day,” adds Cheryl Capitani, Library Director.

In its announcement, IFLA praised New Canaan Library for embodying the essence of a welcoming, modern public space:
“New Canaan Library ticks all the boxes of what makes a really great and welcoming new library for an entire community. The programming of the building gives you a feeling of a nice, light, and welcoming public living room, where the local citizens can meet up for a variety of activities. There simply seems to be something for everyone.”

Past recipients of the Public Library of the Year Award include: 2024: Beijing Library, China; 2023: Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez, Spain; 2022: Missoula Public Library, USA; 2021: Deichman Bjørvika, Norway; 2019: Oodi Helsinki Central Library, Finland.

With the eyes of the international library world now turned toward New Canaan, the Library hopes this moment of global recognition will also shine a light on its deeply rooted local mission.
“We are proud to celebrate this milestone recognition with our friends and neighbors whom we serve with pleasure every day,” added Crovatto. “Our commitment to community is as local as it gets.”

Photo: Esto Photography
For more information, please contact Jennifer Thompson at jthompson@newcanaanlibrary.org

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The New Canaan Library has been the community's intellectual and cultural center for more than a century. Today, the Library continues to be the community’s core resource for learning and innovation, with an emphasis on transformational knowledge, lifelong learning, and connections.
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