2016 NACo Awards

MCPL is honored to receive three 2016 NACo (National Association of County) Acheivement Awards. Begun in 1970, the annual Achievement Awards Program is a non-competitive awards program run by the National Association of Counties (NACo) that recognizes innovative county government initiatives in 21 different categories. In 2016, Montgomery County Public Libraries won awards for:
MCPL Refreshed
Library Refresh Program – Supporting Community Needs@Montgomery County, MD: Montgomery County Public Libraries’ (MCPL) strategic goal is to build a 21st Century library system that provides outstanding services. In an era of reduced availability of capital improvement funds and a rapidly aging physical and technological infrastructure, achievement of this goal is a significant challenge. In response, as part of the FY13-16 Facilities Plan, an alternative branch assessment category of “Refresh” was added to provide a new structured process with which to evaluate and update MCPL’s 21 branches by “refreshing” each of them over a seven-year cycle. It consists of surveying, assessing and implementing physical improvements to the library infrastructure, updating information technologies, incorporating 21st century library trends based on changing community needs, and replacing furniture and shelving. With limited resources available for full library replacement or renovation, the Program emphasizes “refreshing” branches as a cost-effective approach to keep pace with anticipated changes due to the evolving role of public libraries, technology, and customer expectations, with the main objective of returning the “refreshed” library to its community in a timely manner.

STEM station in a branch Interact, Explore, Discover@Your Own Pace:  STEM Stations for Young Children@Montgomery County Public Libraries: As part of the effort to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning, Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), MD, has developed and implemented STEM Stations for children, their families and caregivers. Under the umbrella initiative “All Children Excel” (ACE), a unique early literacy and education set of programs designed to help children and their families thrive at home and in school, the Stations are geared towards children ages 2 to 12 years old. Intended to explore the world of science in an engaging manner, each Station focuses on a STEM topic, has hands-on manipulative demonstrations, an informational poster about the theme, activity instructions and interesting facts with open-ended questions to encourage inquisitiveness and curiosity. Spread throughout the library, the Stations are free-standing so that children can approach and explore them at their own pace and learn about topics such as electricity, magnetism, air pressure, and optics. MCPL began displaying STEM Stations at one library branch during the summer of 2014. Due to their popularity, MPCL expanded the Stations system-wide in April 2015 so that children could experience science through sight and touch in an interactive fashion while exploring and creating.


adult drawing class participant Learn, Engage & Create Together:  Programs and Services for Active Seniors@Montgomery County Public Libraries: Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), MD, has developed a series of programs geared toward active seniors (50+) which addresses the potential for creativity, learning, education, healthy living, and social interaction. Montgomery County has a great number of active seniors, many of whom are still working, while others are shifting into new phases of life, seeking new adventures, activities and resources for constructive engagement. Since 2014, MCPL has been implementing a broad range of programs purposely designed for adults 50 years and older that provide learning opportunities, innovative thinking, artistic creation and healthy living with the purpose of enhancing and enriching their lives. Combining programs that are planned as a set of series and others that stand alone, MCPL has made available different programs for active seniors. Evolving and adapting to meet the needs of the community, MCPL continues to provide through its branches, public spaces for residents of all ages to meet, gather, and learn.

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