Drawing on the long tradition of libraries as the center of citizenship and engagement, The Palace Project name was chosen to highlight the central role of libraries in public life and the idea of public libraries as “Palaces of the People”. The goal of The Palace Project, as a part of the Ebooks and Community Engagement Division of Lyrasis, is to support public libraries in their mission to provide equitable access to digital content, while restoring the direct relationship between library and patron.

“Libraries are essential because they provide individuals with knowledge and the tools to build more informed, engaged and inclusive communities.” - George Martinez, Chief Technology Officer, Knight Foundation

At the heart of the Palace Project is the belief that the public library is the digital center of knowledge and creativity for their community. By creating a seamless, easy-to-use system including platform, content, and mobile app, The Palace Project lets you engage directly with your patrons and improve, enhance, and expand the resources available to them.

Funded by a $5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Palace Project, in strategic partnership with the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), is a robust suite of content, services, and tools for delivering ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital media to benefit public libraries and their patrons. The Palace platform was initially sourced from the Library Simplified platform, an open-source code base originally designed and developed by the New York Public Library.