The Palm Beach County Library System (PBCLS) was honored to take home two Bernays Awards at the Gold Coast PR Council’s (GCPRC) annual ceremony on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. The Gold Coast PR Council (GCPRC), South Florida’s largest independent association of public relations, communications and marketing professionals, celebrated its 19th year of the Bernays Awards. GCPRC has given out these awards since 2005 honoring excellence in local public relations campaigns, marketing programs and media coverage.
The first award category was for Best Nonprofit Project or Campaign – Large.
The Palm Beach County Library System won for the “Strategic Plan FY 2024-2028 & Action Plan FY 2024.”
The Palm Beach County Library System’s “Strategic Plan FY 2024-2028 & Action Plan FY 2024” provides guidance for the delivery of services over the next five years. It outlines a vision of outstanding library service for residents of the Palm Beach County Library District and addresses community needs and emerging trends. It also serves as a guide for the Library’s development as a cornerstone of a well-informed and educated community. Click the link to view the document: “Strategic Plan FY 2024-2028 & Action Plan FY 2024.”
The second award was for Best Marketing Material (Video/Digital).
The Palm Beach County Library System won for the “Embracing the New – The Complete Renovation of www.pbclibrary.org.”
The previous Palm Beach County Library System website had become outdated and glitchy. PBCLS needed a streamlined website for both members and staff. Rebuilding a website from the ground-up with an access of over 100 pages typically can take up to a year or longer.
PBCLS’s communications department faced an aggressive timeline. They had a six-month window for completion of a new website that displays the Library as a community cornerstone. By dividing the workload, the small team of four not only built an attractive website but completed it a month ahead of schedule. The new site has bright, cohesive branding and over 21 new tools used to make it into a social hub: garnering a 446% increase in Library website users in Jan-2024.
Library Director Douglas Crane stated, “Winning not one, but two awards among many talented private and government sector agencies is a tremendous honor for the Library. I couldn’t be prouder of our staff’s exceptional work on both the Strategic Plan and the website.”
