New Canaan Library has been selected as one of three global finalists for the 2025 Public Library of the Year Award, an honor presented by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and sponsored by Baker & Taylor.
The international award recognizes newly constructed public libraries that combine functional, open architecture with innovative digital solutions while reflecting local culture and community needs. According to IFLA, the award honors “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.”
New Canaan Library is the only U.S. finalist. The other two contenders are Gabrielle-Roy Library in Québec, Canada, and Heping Library in 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 Beijing Library, China (2024); Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez, Spain (2023); Missoula Public Library, USA (2022); Deichman Bjørvika, Norway (2021); and Oodi Helsinki Central Library, Finland (2019).
The library, which has served as New Canaan’s cultural and intellectual center for more than a century, continues to focus on lifelong learning and community connection.
