Allison Grubbs, director of the Broward County Library, sharing her message from inside the Main Library.

Message from the director

I am proud to share that the Broward County Library has just been named Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association.

We also received three additional FLA awards:

• The Saturday School at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center received the FLA Intellectual Freedom Award.
   

• Our marketing team won the FLA Communications Award for their Freegal Wizard campaign.
   

• The Westside Gazette newspaper was recognized by the FLA as media partner of the year.

These awards reflect our commitment to innovation, equity, creativity, and exceptional service to our community. We thank our dedicated staff and valued community partners who contributed to these achievements. We love hearing that we are the best choice in Broward!

Library users are savvy customers who know that everything here is free. Everything we offer is free. Library services are funded primarily through property taxes, funds allocated to us by the Broward County Board of Commissioners.

With summer vacation just around the corner, many parents are looking for summer activities and are surprised by the prices. Luckily, the library's Summer Learning Program, for adults and children, is the perfect free alternative.

We're kicking off the 2026 Summer Learning Program with a star-studded event: the 21st Annual Children's Book Festival , taking place on Saturday, May 30, at the Western Regional Library. This year's theme is "Discover a Story," and we'll achieve this with imaginative and creative library programs focused on art, science, and culture, preventing the dreaded "summer academic slump."

This decline in students' skills occurs when there is mental inactivity during the summer holidays. Dartmouth College Children's Hospital reports that children's reading skills can drop by 20% and their math skills by 27% during the school holidays. That's where the library becomes crucial for everyone.

From June 1 to August 9, the library's Summer Learning Program is packed with enriching, entertaining, and reinforcing learning activities for everyone. The Early Literacy Program prepares children for success by developing their early language skills; the Children's Program helps young children develop their reading and language skills; the Teen Program motivates young adults to create and explore literature; and the Adult Program encourages adults to experience the joy of reading. 

In that spirit, I'd like to invite you to join my Directors' Book Club , where we'll be reading "Crying in H Mart," a memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up as a Korean-American, written by indie rock star Michelle Zauner.

Finally, remember that we offer the Brainfuse  online resource 24/7, year-round, to keep your mind active and constantly developing. Whether you're looking for free preparation for the high school equivalency exam or the U.S. citizenship exam, want to acquire computer skills, succeed in your job search, write the perfect resume, save hundreds of dollars on private tutoring on your preferred subject and level, or learn chess as a life skill, Brainfuse is at your service. Get back in school, land your next job, or impress your friends!

We wish you a May full of amazing offers that you'll only find at your library!