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Library Innovation Awards 2026

Showcase your library’s story of creativity, collaboration, and community impact.

hopeful applicants of the Clarivate Library Innovation Awards in an academic classroom.

What Are The Clarivate Library Awards?

The Clarivate Library Awards recognize libraries that are making an impact by transforming services, communities, research and access to knowledge through innovation.

We invite libraries from across Clarivate’s global user-group communities to submit projects or initiatives launched or significantly advanced within the past 24 months that demonstrate creativity, measurable outcomes, and positive impact.

Celebrate Your Success

Recognition

Winners and finalists from each category will be celebrated on stage at the 2026 User Group Conferences.

Awards

Each of the 3 finalist libraries in every category will receive two all-expenses-paid passes to attend one of Clarivate’s international user group conferences in 2026 – ELUNA, IGeLU, or IUG.

Industry Showcase

Finalists featured across Clarivate channels, websites, industry press, case studies and User Group Conferences. Winner and Finalists provided with a Clarivate digital banner for display on their website.

Who Should Apply

Academic, National, Public, and Consortia libraries that are members of ELUNA, IGeLU or IUG

Projects / initiatives launched or significantly developed within the past 24 months.

Note: Submissions do not need to involve Clarivate products.

What We’re Looking For

  • Innovation & creativity - Unique ideas and approaches
  • Impact & outcomes - Real results for staff, users and communities
  • Sustainability & scalability - Long-term potential to grow and scale the initiative over time
  • Inclusion & accessibility - The success that you have made in reaching diverse audiences
  • Alignment - Supporting your library’s mission or goals
  • Every submission will be carefully reviewed by an independent panel of judges representing diverse areas of the global library community.
  • Projects are assessed using a balanced scoring framework that considers both innovation and real-world impact.
Criteria
Weight
Innovation & originality Unique ideas, creativity, and new approaches
20%
Impact & outcomes Strength of evidence, measurable results
20%
Scope & scale Reach and replicability potential
10%
Sustainability & future planning Long-term vision and viability
10%
Alignment to mission/strategy Fit with library or institutional goals
10%
Inclusion & community engagement Diversity, accessibility, and social reach
10%
Role of technology How technology supported innovation
5%
Clarity & quality of submission Organization, completeness, and clarity
15%

An independent panel of judges will review and score all submissions using a transparent evaluation rubric.

Each judge brings deep experience from across the global library community, ensuring a fair, balanced, and informed review process.

Our current panel of judges includes:

Beau Case

Dean of University Libraries, University of Central Florida

Catherine Lau

Deputy CEO, The National Library and Archives Board (Singapore)

Dave Allen

Chair, IGeLU

Eleanor Crumblehulme

Chair, IUG

Jason Griffith

Chair, ELUNA

Lynda James-Gilboe

Library Advocate and CEO, AdaptLeadSucceed

Marshall Breeding

Editor-in-Chief, LibraryTechnology.org

Sam Helmick

President, American Library Association (ALA)

Together, the current panel of judges represents a diverse perspective across academic, public, and national libraries, ensuring that innovation and impact are recognized in every form.

How It Works

Step 1
Submit
Complete your online submission.
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Step 2
Review
Independent judging panel reviews all entries.
February 13, 2026 – February 28, 2026
Step 3
Finalists Announced
Finalists are featured on Clarivate channels.
March 4 , 2026
Step 4
Recognition
Winners celebrated live at the relevant
2026 Clarivate User-Group conferences

Clarivate Library Innovation Awards Reveal the 2026 Finalists

The Clarivate Library Innovation Awards finalists are:

ELUNA Member Category (Academic Libraries North America)

Stony Brook University Libraries, U.S.

development of a gen-AI powered tool, integrated with the library’s discovery interface, to enhance discoverability and research experience

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, U.S.

initiative to scale and automate the identification, acquisition and delivery of low‑ or no‑cost course materials

University of Texas at Austin Libraries, U.S.

AI-assisted cataloging initiative for legacy music collections

IGeLU Member Category (Academic Libraries International)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library, Hong Kong SAR

AI-driven transformation initiative across core functions - resource discovery, learning and research support, operational efficiency and staff capability building

University of St Andrews, U.K.

using large language model (LLM) technologies to transform a donations backlog into discoverable resources

University of Western Australia Library, Australia

expanding its digital asset management service to collections held by separate University-aligned groups and bodies

IUG Member Category (Public Libraries)

Rochester Hills Public Library, U.S.

creation of a developmentally-appropriate discovery interface for children through teenagers, combining professional Early Childhood Literacy expertise with intentional technical design

Santa Clarita Public Library, U.S.

launched a fully operational mobile library that offers full-service library operations directly into neighborhoods, schools and community events

Suffolk Public Library, U.S.

responding to community needs and expanding access to a rural branch without increasing the burden on current staff

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