$2.5 million offered for groundbreaking ideas about libraries

The Knight News Challenge on Libraries is seeking ideas exploring the role libraries play in the digital age, according to a Knight Foundation press release. Participants are asked to answer this question: How might we leverage libraries as a platform to build more knowledgeable communities? Anyone can submit an idea. The deadline is 5 p.m. EST Sept. 30. The winning entrants will share the $2.5 million prize.

“Today’s libraries have the potential to become an essential community platform not just for providing easy access to vast amounts of information, but also for fueling the ideas and connections that help build strong democracies,” John Bracken, Knight Foundation director for journalism and media innovation, said in a statement. “Through the challenge we want to discover projects that build on library assets—public trust, professional staff, and open spaces—but also reimagine the role of libraries in the digital age.”