LME Library Receives Accessibility Grant

The Lillie M. Evans Library in Princeville has received a $20,000 Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant to start a community garden. Funds will be used to add an accessible sidewalk into the hosta garden and to start a community vegetable garden. The library is hosting a community conversation on Thursday, June 1st at 6:30pm in our large meeting room to discuss how to make our garden more accessible for all community members. Please join us—we’d love your input!

Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grants are an initiative from the American Library Association (ALA) that offer more than $7 million to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities. For this grant round, 240 funded proposals represented 43 U.S. states and the Northern Mariana Islands. Of the selected libraries, 65 percent serve communities of less than 5,000 people.

“Congratulations to the libraries selected for the first round of this important award,” said ALA President Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada. “With projects ranging from ADA accessibility to strengthening library partnerships with local organizations that serve disabled community members, the impact of this grant will improve library access for thousands of library users across the nation.”

The Lillie M. Evans Library was one of one hundred libraries that received $20,000 awards. The other 140 libraries received grants of $10,000. Eligibility was limited to communities with populations less than 25,000 and that are located at least five miles from an urbanized area, in accordance with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions. A full list of funded libraries can be found at https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/libraries.

“The Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) sends our congratulations to the first round of LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities libraries,” said ARSL Executive Director Kate Laughlin. ”All 240 institutions are so deserving of this funding, and we look forward to seeing their proposed projects bring big change to some of the country’s smallest communities.”

Since 2014, ALA has distributed Libraries Transforming Communities funding to foster community engagement skills among library workers and support need-driven projects. Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) with support from a private funder.

Community engagement meeting on May 4th @ Princeville Library

The Lillie M. Evans Library in Princeville is planning a community engagement meeting on Tuesday, May 4th at 7pm at the library. LME Library recently was awarded a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to help establish a Library of Things. A Library of Things is any collection of objects that are outside the traditional items loaned by libraries. Objects can include items such as electronics, science kits, craft supplies, and equipment.

The meeting on May 4^th will be an opportunity to discuss the circulation of equipment we already own as well as consider items that the LME Library can purchase that could assist local residents, businesses, and organizations. We would like as many local organizational representatives as possible to attend this event. The grant discussion will allow us to better engage our community and execute our plan.

 

The Library of Things movement has expanded in the last decade and it makes sense to base it at the public library. Our library has established hours convenient to our community and is a safe and reliable place to pick up and drop off items. We have a powerful circulation system in place that can be adapted to circulate equipment and we have the ability to track a variety of statistics. People are familiar with borrowing materials from libraries so a Library of Things has the advantage of being both innovative and familiar at the same time.

The grant from the American Library Association (ALA) is part of the association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries initiative. Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Our award includes facilitator training and $3,000 in grant funds. The initiative is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries.

“Through community engagement, libraries are continuing their important work on literacy and access, while also working to fill gaps in other areas that may not have fallen to libraries in the past,” said ALA President Julius C. Jefferson. “We are excited to provide the resources for hundreds of libraries to take on new challenges in their communities and look forward to seeing the great things they accomplish.”

Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). Please contact the LME Library at 385-4540 for more information or visit our website at lmelibrary.org.

National Library Week 2017

National Library Week, April 9 – 15, 2017, is a time to celebrate our nation’s libraries and library workers for transforming lives through technology, information literacy, diverse collections and opportunities for community engagement.

In a world of rapid technological and cultural change, libraries and library workers are establishing themselves as trusted resources for both individuals and the community at large. Conducting an online search can be a daunting task, even for an experienced researcher, with millions of hits for any question or topic. Librarians are trained experts who can guide library users through this information jungle to find what they are seeking, whether they are verifying news sources, investigating healthcare options or exploring sources of student financial aid.

Libraries also provide a wide range of opportunities for people with diverse wants and interests, including cultural heritage collections, materials in alternate formats such as large print, online language courses, and many other programs.  Library programming and offerings continue to expand to reflect the changing needs of the communities they serve.

This year’s theme for National Library Week is “Libraries Transform,” and Olympic soccer gold medalist and World Cup champion Julie Foudy is lending her support as National Library Week Honorary Chair. Foudy is helping to shine a light on the value of all types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – and the expertise of library workers.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is observed each April by the American Library Association and libraries across the country. For more information on National Library Week, visit ILoveLibraries.org/NLW or follow #NationalLibraryWeek.