Alachua County Library District

In an economic climate that has seen government social services agencies closing in favor of Internet access, Alachua County Library District has through imaginative partnerships stepped in to fill a gap in delivering much-needed social services to underserved residents in Gainesville. Through the Library Partnership, residents have access to health and legal services, rent and utility subsidies, tax assistance, counseling for substance or domestic abuse, and a host of other social services. The Library Partnership also serves as a distribution point for book and clothing drives and collects food that is distributed via United Way volunteers in backpacks going to area children that don’t receive enough food at home during the weekend. The success of the Library Partnership has encouraged other communities to develop partnerships of their own and it has attracted new partners from unexpected places such as the Alachua County Sheriff, who sees this program as having a positive impact on crime prevention.