Dongguan Today 2026.05.15

5月13日，国际图书馆协会联合会（IFLA）公布2026年“国际营销奖”获奖名单。东莞图书馆的“绘本耆遇”项目从全球120余个优秀案例中脱颖而出，跻身年度Top10。IFLA在贺词中评价：该项目因其创新性、执行力和影响力赢得了全球认可，成为图书馆营销领域的杰出典范。

Dongguan Library has earned international recognition for turning picture books into a bridge across generations.

On May 13, 2026, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, or IFLA, announced the winners of its 2026 International Marketing Award. Dongguan Library's project, "Ageless Picture Books, Boundless Reading Encounters," stood out from more than 120 outstanding submissions worldwide and was named among the year's Top 10.

IFLA praised the project for its innovation, execution and impact, calling it an outstanding example of library marketing on the global stage.

The project grew out of Dongguan's citywide public library network. Relying on its central-branch library system, Dongguan Library has taken the lead in China in building a dedicated picture book service network. By April 2026, the city had established 114 picture book libraries at different levels, creating a reading network that reaches communities across Dongguan.

Responding to the cultural and emotional needs of an aging society, in 2025, Dongguan Library launched the "Ageless Picture Books" project, extending picture book reading from children to senior citizens. Through books suitable for readers aged 0 to 99, the project brings together children, adults and older residents through shared stories, memories and emotions.

The program has reached nursing homes, kindergartens, community centers, village history halls, parks and residential neighborhoods. More than offering age-friendly services, it seeks to create joy, confidence and participation for older readers. Seniors are encouraged not only to listen to stories, but also to tell them. In this process, picture books become a warm medium for recalling memories, expressing feelings, strengthening inter-generational bonds and reconnecting with community life.

To make the model more professional and replicable, Dongguan Library has also developed a reading activity toolkit for senior picture book programs. It includes book selection guidance, activity design, suggested procedures for different settings and digital resource recommendations, offering practical support for other institutions interested in similar services.

For Dongguan Library, the international honor is both recognition and a new beginning. The library plans to further expand the project's coverage, improve reading spaces, enrich activity formats, train professional teams and advance standardization. It also hopes to share the model more widely beyond Dongguan.

About IFLA and the International Marketing Award

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is one of the world's most authoritative and influential professional organizations in the library field. Often described as the "United Nations of libraries," it brings together members from around 150 countries and regions, with a mission to inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library community.

The IFLA International Marketing Award is one of the most prestigious and influential marketing awards in the global library sector. It recognizes outstanding innovation, communication and impact in library services, and represents an important international benchmark for library outreach and cultural promotion.