Orwell Free Library RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$3,000 Grant provides funding for Orwell Library to support the Orwell Select Board with virtual Town Meeting offerings.
We were selected as one of 200 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities.
The competitive award comes with a $3,000 grant that will help the library purchase quality streaming technology and support staff time to bring the 2021 Orwell Town Meeting safely to town residents.
We are excited and ready to assist our town officials with a COVID safe Town Meeting alternative. The grant funds will also allow our library to build infrastructure for quality virtual programming. This moment in time is special and challenging in so many ways. It is wonderful to be given opportunities to work together and serve our community as best we can.
The pandemic put small Vermont towns in a difficult position. Running a virtual informational meeting with a Q & A piece is a challenge many are not comfortable offering. Local libraries are positioned to provide advice and, in some cases, assistance to local governments amidst this challenge.
More than 300 libraries applied for the grant, according to ALA.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”
