The purpose of the “Show Us Your Bookface” contest was to promote reading, literacy and library use among teens and to assist in creating a stronger user relationship between teens and their local libraries. “Show Us Your Bookface” was unique to our community as it was the first time a contest was used to create an exhibit. No other contest or exhibit of this type had ever been offered in Broward County. The exhibit was conceptualized to work in conjunction with “Broward 100 – Celebrating the Art of Community,” a celebration of Broward County’s centennial that commemorates the year with art and performance projects that attract visitors and bring residents together to creatively bridge, bond and build their communities.

The contest was announced August 1, 2014 and was promoted using posters, postcards, social media and a press release. Three top entries were announced during Teen Read Week™ 2014 and posted to the Library’s Facebook page/Twitter feed. Broward County Library was also planning the grand reopening of their Main Library as part of the Broward 100 festivities. To further work with the Broward 100 theme, it was decided that the top 100 bookface photos would be laid out into a large banner prominently displayed on a wall at the entrance of the Library. Additional banners were ordered for regional libraries.

The Bookface contest received over 300 entries with one school alone submitting 64 entries. More than 300 people attended the Main Library Grand Reopening, held December 14, 2014, with the majority of them passing through the main entrance where they could view the Bookface photo exhibit. This display actively engaged the library’s teen users and emphasized that the library is a space for adolescents. It reinforces the concept that Broward County Library is committed to providing services for teens and that, by offering a program/concept that appealed to them, we could further engage them as library customers.