New digital platform empowers public libraries and patrons, boosts equitable access to knowledge

Knight Foundation investment ushers in model for innovation, impact and community engagement

(June 28, 2021) — A powerful partnership of industry leaders today announced The Palace Project, a transformational, library-centered platform for digital content and services.

The Palace Project, with a $5 million award from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to LYRASIS, and in strategic partnership with Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), will develop and scale a robust suite of content, services, and tools for the delivery of ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital media to benefit public libraries and patrons.

The Palace Project will support the mission of public libraries by providing equitable access to digital knowledge, bolstering the direct relationship between libraries and patrons, and protecting patron privacy by enabling libraries to serve content to patrons from all the major e-content providers.

“LYRASIS sees Palace as an unprecedented opportunity for libraries to be digital leaders within their communities and make all content accessible to all people,” said Robert Miller, LYRASIS chief executive officer. “LYRASIS deeply appreciates Knight Foundation’s vote of confidence in our collective vision. LYRASIS has had a long-term relationship with public libraries and the Knight funding will accelerate efforts and impact for the communities we serve.”

“Libraries are essential because they provide individuals with knowledge and the tools to build more informed, engaged and inclusive communities,” said George Martinez, chief technology officer for Knight Foundation. “The Palace Project will meet people where they are and significantly boost equitable access to knowledge in communities across the country at a time when it is needed most.”

Michele Kimpton, a globally recognized leader in building community-centered library products, will lead The Palace Project. Formerly Director of Business Development and Senior Strategist at DPLA, Kimpton has played a pivotal role in some of the most significant advances in internet-related digital content development and preservation. Kimpton joins LYRASIS as Global Director of The Palace Project Division.

The Palace Project builds on a collaboration between DPLA and LYRASIS over the last several years and uses the Library Simplified platform, an opensource code base originally designed and developed by the New York Public Library.

“DPLA is excited to take our work providing libraries greater control over digital assets to the next level,” said John Bracken, DPLA’s Executive Director. “In partnership with Knight Foundation and LYRASIS, and through Michele Kimpton’s leadership, we are eager to advance our common goal of ensuring equitable access to knowledge for all.”

The Palace Project will enable libraries to deliver content to patrons from all major e-content providers. Knight Foundation’s funding allows for a one-click, turnkey patron experience accessing content ranging from Amazon Publishing, to major publishers and independents, to local authors and open, accessible content. The Palace Project’s app is slated to launch in early fall.

Today’s announcement was made at Knight Foundation’s 2021 Convening on Libraries, which brings together library, civic and philanthropic leaders.

For more information on The Palace Project visit: thepalaceproject.org.

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About Lyrasis

LYRASIS is a global, non-profit membership organization whose mission is to support enduring access to the world’s shared academic, scientific, and cultural heritage through leadership in open technologies, content services, digital solutions and collaboration with archives, libraries, museums, and knowledge communities worldwide. LYRASIS organizational and staff values are communication, respect, collaboration, impact, and service. For more information visit www.lyrasis.org.

About Digital Public Library of America

DPLA amplifies the value of libraries and cultural organizations as trusted sources of shared knowledge. DPLA fulfills its mission by collaborating with partners to accelerate the adoption of innovative tools and ideas to empower and equip libraries in making public information more accessible. DPLA provides a library-led marketplace and platform to purchase, organize and deliver ebooks and other e-content to patrons. For more information visit www.dp.la.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit www.kf.org.

Image (top) by Kampus Production on Pexels.

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Akron’s Summit Lake was once neglected, but members of the community came together to ensure the lake served Akronites as an accessible and popular public space. Summit Lake’s transformation includes the construction of a destination park, and most recently, a Nature Center that will open its doors in July. Knight’s Kyle Kutuchief shares more about the Summit Lake story, and how it helps boost community attachment, below.

In the heart of Akron lies Summit Lake, a beloved lake where residents and visitors come to canoe, bike, fish and enjoy nature. The lake is a local treasure, which became more evident during the pandemic. “People would come down and see grandparents with their grandchildren, and sit under the shelter and play games or cards,” Summit Lake resident and Akron Civic Commons Fellow Grace Hudson said. “People are still having birthday parties and family gatherings. COVID-19 slowed things down, but people were still using the space.”

But Summit Lake, which is Akron’s largest body of water and sits in a racially diverse neighborhood, has been a neglected public space for decades. In fact, it used to be an environmental hazard. Pollution, both from industry and runoff from nearby highways, made the lake an unsightly hazard and discouraged residents from using the shoreline or water. Black residents, especially, felt detached from the lake because of urban renewal policies. Their neighborhood was separated from downtown Akron and residents were subjected to countless promises of renewals that were not delivered.

Making Summit Lake equitable, inclusive and accessible aligns with Knight Foundation’s goal of strengthening communities by investing in spaces where residents of all backgrounds can develop a shared sense of community. That’s why we joined JBP, Kresge and Rockefeller foundations in 2016 to invest $5 million in Akron’s Reimagining the Civic Commons project that includes the Summit Lake neighborhood.

Akron Civic Commons has worked to co-create public space ideas with residents to improve their public spaces. Temporary prototypes such as plastic adirondack chairs and fire pits led to semi-permanent amenities such as a small beach that set the stage for bigger plans for lasting change. Knight recently committed $4 million to the $10 million plan to transform Summit Lake’s historic north shore to create a destination park for area residents and Towpath Trail users, with residents leading the planning.

Last year, Knight commissioned Gehl, a leading urban design firm, to study seven public space projects across the country — including Summit Lake — and identify what made them successful and draw lessons for designing public spaces that make communities more resilient and inclusive.

Summit Lake’s success centered around shifting decision-making power throughout its development lifecycle, from initial design through governance, to include residents as partners. As a result, its new improvement projects reflected residents’ needs and the historical characteristics of the neighborhood.

We are also learning that:

Using a dynamic community engagement process that prioritizes resident input and demonstrates commitment helps improve trust with neighborhood residents.

Transforming Summit Lake’s shoreline into a beloved community asset — through environmental, public space and programmatic improvements — is important to long-time residents.

Early and ongoing resident involvement establishes community pride, which leads to volunteer stewardship to care for the lake over time.

Establishing trust through Summit Lake investments is critical to engaging residents in larger conversations about further improvements in the neighborhood including the new $10 million park coming to the north shore.

A 2018 survey found that 97% of residents said that Summit Lake Park improved their neighborhood, up from 57% at the outset of the project. The Gehl study found such positive sentiments common across public spaces that engaged residents in the design process. “We saw the manifestation of this conversation bloom into actual fruits of the conversation,” Grace Hudson said. “We saw things starting to happen.”

Although there is much more work to be done, Summit Lake’s progress has led to additional community investments, such as a $15.5 million vision plan supported by the City of Akron, that is now underway in the area. And a Knight-supported project led by Summit Metro Parks to transform the lake’s pump house into a nature center will open its doors to the public on July 1 at 11:00 a.m.

With the availability of more federal dollars from stimulus spending to infrastructure, let’s use the lessons learned from Summit Lake and put residents first to continue designing public spaces in Akron that are equitable and inclusive.

Kyle Kutuchief is Knight Foundation’s program director in Akron. Follow him on Twitter @KyleKutuchief.

Image (top) by Tim Fitzwater

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Provide 1:1 match of the City of Akron’s $4,000,000 contribution of American Rescue Plan Act funding to support the Middlebury Housing Initiative.

Provide 1:1 match of the City of Akron’s $3,500,000 contribution of American Rescue Plan Act funding to support the redesign and rebuilding of Locks 2, 3 and 4.

To support the construction of and programming for a historic park in downtown Akron that honors the site of the seminal 1851 speech by women’s rights activist and abolitionist Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?”

UPDATEDGOAL11/2024:To support the transformation of the Polsky Building into a center of entrepreneurship, community collaboration and learning;ORIGINALPURPOSE:To support the transformation of the Polsky Building into a center of entrepreneurship, community collaboration, artistic performances and learning; andTo contribute to the civic and economic vibrancy of downtown Akron.

To support the Earth Dashboard, a public facing interactive data portal and a ‘situation room’ for the planet that is a signature component of Earth HQ and through innovative visualizations will seek to provide a lay perspective on climate change and the global and local nature of its impact.

Organizational support to launch a newly established group of experienced Black real estate developers in Philadelphia to access capital for development opportunities that drive community priorities such as affordable housing and economic development in historically Black and other marginalized neighborhoods.