The Vancouver Public Library has won the 2012 DIVERSEcity Award for its contributions to cultural diversity. The library has been acknowledged for

integrating cultural diversity into all areas of operations, including creating a multicultural staff and reaching out to the city’s diverse communities.

Carellin Brooks, library board vice-chair, accepted the award at the annual DIVERSEcity Awards on April 17. Sandra Singh, chief librarian, and Gillian Guilmant-Smith, assistant manager of multicultural services, accompanied her.

The award is presented annually by the DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, (based in Surrey) and aims to acknowledge businesses in Surrey, Delta and White Rock that have been outstanding in incorporating culturally diverse initiatives into their workplaces.

The library has worked to create a multicultural staff, employ marketing strategies that recognize and reach various cultural communities, host multicultural events, and provide print and digital resources in 16 different languages, as well as programming and services in various languages- including English and French.

The library tied with the Fraser Health Authority for the public institution category of the award.