UCSB Library recently received four awards in recognition of its outstanding communications. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) awarded the 2025 ARLIES Award for Best Publicity/Marketing Film for the "Gen Z-Scripted Tour of UCSB Library" video at the ARL Spring Association Meeting in April 2025. Coproduced by the Library's Department of External Relations and the UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications, the humorous video shows a Baby Boomer-generation library employee giving a tour of the Library and using Generation Z slang to describe key library collections, services, spaces, expertise, and building policies.
The American Library Association (ALA) awarded three 2025 PR Xchange Awards to UCSB Library at the ALA 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in June 2025.
- For the 2023-2024 Impact Report, UCSB Library won the award in the category Advocacy, Fundraising, Annual Reports, and Strategic Plans; electronic materials; libraries with annual budgets over $15 million.
- For the "Gen Z-Scripted Tour of UCSB Library" video, UCSB Library won the award in the category External Communications; electronic materials; libraries with annual budgets over $15 million.
- For the Gather and Graft Workshop digital slide, UCSB Library won the award in the category Special Events; electronic materials; libraries with annual budgets over $15 million.
ARL is a nonprofit membership organization of research libraries and archives in major public and private universities, federal government agencies, and large public institutions in Canada and the U.S. The ARLIES Film Festival highlights and shares videos developed by member institutions to increase knowledge and use of libraries, their spaces, services, collections, and expertise.
ALA is a nonprofit organization based in the U.S. that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest library association in the world and with more than 47,000 members also the largest library association in the world. The annual PR Xchange Awards Competition recognizes the very best public relations materials produced by libraries in the past year.
