Library Innovations Awards 2026
Drive innovation. Share impact.
Showcase your library’s story of creativity, collaboration, and community impact.
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.
Judging Panel
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:
Dean of University Libraries, University of Central Florida
Deputy CEO, The National Library and Archives Board (Singapore)
Chair, IGeLU
Chair, IUG
Chair, ELUNA
Library Advocate and CEO, AdaptLeadSucceed
Editor-in-Chief, LibraryTechnology.org
President, American Library Association (ALA)
How It Works
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
