Prince George, B.C. – The Prince George Public Library is the proud recipient of two Merit Awards from the B.C. Library Association.

The Prince George Library’s Gay-Straight Alliance receives an award in the Programs or Services category for service to teens in the city and region.  The GSA is the only community group not affiliated with a school and allows a teens-only space where members can discuss issues and listen to speakers who address concerns that are directly related to their lives.

The library also won an award in the Advocacy or Marketing category for its “Freedom to Read Hostage Books” initiative during Freedom to Read Week 2014.  Staff selected eight high-profile banned or challenged books and members of the public donated money to bail out the book so that it could be checked out and read again.

The awards were accepted by Acting Chief Librarian Janet Marren at the B.C. Library Association’s annual general meeting on Friday.