WORCESTER—The Worcester Public Library has clawed its way to the top of the library public relations world, earning a prestigious John Cotton Dana Award for its viral, cat-themed “March Meowness” campaign. And it’s not the first for this library, or marketing campaign.
The award, considered the most prestigious of its kind by the American Library Association, honors outstanding library public relations efforts. The ALA’s Core Division administers the prize in partnership with EBSCO Information Services, with support from the H.W. Wilson Foundation. Worcester is one of just eight libraries in North America to receive the honor this year—and it comes with a $10,000 grant.
First launched in March 2024, “March Meowness” invited library users to submit cat photos in exchange for having their overdue fines and lost item fees waived. While it started as a playful fee forgiveness campaign, the initiative ultimately reconnected thousands of patrons to the library—especially those from historically marginalized communities.
“March Meowness was about more than cats,” said Jason Homer, WPL’s Executive Director, in the award announcement. “It was about dignity, second chances, and ensuring everyone feels welcome at their library.”
The campaign, created by Community Relations and Communications Manager Linnea Sheldon and the library’s New Users Task Force, drew global attention and helped clear more than 5,600 accounts. More than 10,000 cat photos were submitted from across the world, and library card registrations in Worcester rose by over 10% during the campaign. NBC Nightly News even featured the initiative.
“The initiative brought playfulness and compassion to fee forgiveness,” said Sheldon, “and it served to unite our community—and thousands of people around the globe—with the goal of access for all.”
This is the latest national accolade for Worcester Public Library, which was also recognized as a top-three finalist for Library Journal’s 2024 “Marketer of the Year” award for the same campaign. Homer himself was named to Library Journal’s 2025 “Movers & Shakers” list for leadership in equity and access.
In recognizing Worcester’s campaign, the John Cotton Dana Award committee cited its creativity, inclusivity, and measurable success in bringing patrons back into the library fold.
The honor places WPL in the company of major library systems across the U.S. and Canada, including Hartford Public Library in Connecticut and Westmount Public Library in Quebec. The awards were presented during a reception at the American Library Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia on June 28.
And while the prize is serious, the tone of the campaign was intentionally light.
“Who knew forgiveness could be so fluffy?” Homer joked when the campaign first went viral.
With March Meowness now award-winning, one question remains: What will they think of next—and will it have nine lives?
Have news, tips, or a story worth telling? Reach Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org—because good stories (and great scoops) deserve to be shared.
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