Minister of the Arts Bernd Sibler emphasised: "As a former Chairman of the Bavarian Library Association, the Bavarian Library Award has been a matter of personal importance to me for a long time. Our libraries are important conveyors of culture and knowledge for young and old. They promote cultural participation and life-long learning – which has become more important today than ever! The Bavarian Library Award offers an opportunity also to smaller libraries in the regions to increase the visibility of their work and to receive recognition for their admirable dedication. We can make a contribution to a modern and innovative library landscape in the Free State in this way. I am looking forward to receiving numerous interesting applications!"

The Chairman of the Library Association, Dr. Gerhard Hopp, MdL, appreciated the go-ahead given by the cooperation agreement: "In these times in particular, our libraries as learning and meeting places show their great value for the cohesion of our society. With the new award, we want to support and commend innovative projects, but also render visible what tremendous treasure there lies in Bavaria’s library landscape."

The Bavarian Library Award is based on a cooperation between the Ministry of the Arts and the Bavarian Library Association. The Ministry of the Arts makes available the prize money in the amount of EUR 15,000 altogether. The Bavarian Library Association organises the competition and absorbs the costs connected with this. The main prize, endowed with EUR 10,000, is awarded for innovative library services, while the special prize, endowed with EUR 5,000, will go to individual, future-oriented library projects. The award winners are determined by a jury of at least seven judges, who will be representatives of the Bavarian Library Association, the Consulting Center for Public Libraries and the Saint Michael's Association.

Source:
Press release No. 240 of 21/10/2020 by the Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences and the Arts