Broward County Library has offered free college-test preparation courses for more than 20 years. When COVID-19 necessitated the closing of Broward’s public library buildings, the program went online and attendance increased by more than 200%. But what happened when the threat of COVID passed and libraries re-opened? Would space restrictions in the free, in-person classes limit the number of students who can now participate in this potentially life-changing program?

Broward libraries closed to the public due to COVID-19 in 2020 and again in 2021, so staff transitioned their SAT/ACT preparation classes from in-person to online. The move from physical to virtual provided unprecedented access to the courses. Registration rose dramatically as barriers to attendance were removed. When libraries opened for good in 2022, Ready for College emerged as a successful hybrid program, offering students the option of attending the classes at one of the libraries or online.

The transition of Broward County Library’s Ready for College initiative was highly successful in meeting its objectives, which included ensuring equal access for high school students to free, high-quality SAT and ACT preparatory resources that give them an advantage in the competitive college admissions process and improving test-day readiness to reduce students’ anxiety. The program received the 2022 Florida Library Association Betty Davis Miller Award for outstanding youth services to teens.