The new Missoula library officially opened its shiny glass doors to the public in 2021. It's a library built for the future," said Jury chair Jakob Guillois Lærkes at the July, 2022 World Library event, hosted in Dublin. It's a library that you would relish having in your own local area. The library, therefore, scores highly against all the award's criteria. The building stands out for its beautiful architecture that pays homage to the surrounding landscape, while functioning as a library with a wealth of offers and possibilities that also serves as a meeting place for the local community. After a nail-biting month in June when four libraries were shortlisted for the award, the World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) finally announced Missoula takes gold! Our very own Missoula Public Library was named Public Library of the Year by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)! This worldwide competition included 20 different libraries from 17 countries all gunning for first place, which offered a reward of $5,000, along with the epic title of World's Best Library.