(Above image: The Shanghai Library East, 2024 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards category winner. Photo by Raw Vision)

Libraries are no longer quiet rooms lined with bookshelves — today, they’re community anchors, learning hubs, and flexible civic spaces that reflect the diverse needs of the people they serve. The biennial ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards highlight projects that continue to push libraries further — from neighborhood branches shaped by community input to monumental institutions that act as cultural landmarks.

Judged by a panel of designers and library leaders — 2024 jurors included Stacey Crumbaker, IIDA, Assoc. AIA, associate principal at Mahlum Architects and president of IIDA’s International Board of Directors; Carrie Herrmann, executive director of Boone County Public Library in Kentucky; and Erin Jennings, IIDA, AIA, principal and market leader at Luminaut — the awards recognize projects that balance functionality, identity, and inspiration.

Below, we highlight three winning projects from the 2024 awards, spanning scales, regions, and contexts. Hear directly from the jurors about what stood out—and why these spaces work.

Gateway Public Library, Mesa, Arizona

A desert library designed around an open-market plan for learning and exchange

At the edge of Eastmark Great Park in Mesa, Arizona, the Gateway Public Library unfolds as a civic gathering space woven into its desert surroundings. Organized around the idea of an “open market,” the design by Richärd Kennedy Architects and White Baux Studio brings makerspaces, youth areas, and community rooms into a lively central corridor, while quieter reading zones line the perimeter with views to the lake and park, balancing energy with moments of calm. The result is a library that connects people — to knowledge, to one another, and to the surrounding landscape.

Why it works: “Vibrant, flexible, and deeply rooted in its desert surroundings, this library brings together traditionally separate programs under a unifying, gestural roof form. Playful use of color and light activates the interiors, becoming a dynamic ‘open market’ of knowledge and community interaction. It’s a joyful celebration of public life, designed to grow and adapt with the community it serves — especially meaningful for me, as it’s the city where I grew up … and after we finished juroring, I realized it was by the design firm [Richärd Kennedy Architects] where I first practiced coming out of design school.” — Stacey Crumbaker, IIDA, Assoc. AIA, Associate Principal, Mahlum Architects

Shanghai Library East, Shanghai, China

A monumental library inspired by Taihu stone and centuries of scholarship

Rising in Shanghai’s Pudong district, Shanghai Library East reimagines the library at monumental scale; it is one of the largest libraries in the world and home to more than 4.8 million books. Inspired by the sculptural form of Taihu stone — a symbol long associated with contemplation and scholarship in Chinese gardens — the design, by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, carves expansive reading rooms and gathering spaces from a restrained palette of materials. Bamboo elements, filtered light, and views to nearby parks soften the building’s scale, creating spaces that feel at once vast and intimate, civic and contemplative.

Why it works: “This project exemplifies stunning architectural solutions while creating a cultural and community catalyst. The influence of the Taihu Stone is tastefully predominant throughout the design, and the stunning integration of detail, place, and space captivates this library environment.”— Erin Jennings, IIDA, AIA, Principal and Market Leader, Luminaut

Marion-Franklin Library, Columbus, Ohio

A neighborhood library shaped by community voices and filled with daylight

Located in a Columbus neighborhood shaped by strong intergenerational ties, the new Marion-Franklin Library emerged from extensive community listening sessions. The 10,000-square-foot branch, brought to life by EVOKE Studio and Schooley Caldwell, replaces a previous library housed in an underused school building. Natural light pours through a central skylight, illuminating open interiors and clear sightlines that foster safety and connection. Warm materials create a welcoming atmosphere, while a thread of purple — an homage to classic children’s book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” — connects the building’s identity inside and out.

Why it works: “The lighting — and especially the use of natural light — immediately captured my attention, along with how open the space feels. The use of purple, carried from the interior to the exterior, really grounds the building in the identity of the community it serves. Overall, it has a modern, clean look that never feels cluttered.” — Carrie Herrmann, Executive Director, Boone County Public Library

Have a library project worth celebrating? Submissions are now open for the 2026 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards, honoring innovative library interiors from around the world. Explore the submission guidelines and apply here.