SELOVER LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES 

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$10,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Residents with Disabilities to make the library more accessible

 

Chesterville — Selover Public Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in round three of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.

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The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library become more accessible to people with mobility disabilities. This is the second time Selover Public Library has been awarded this grant. During the first round of funding in 2023, the library used their $10,000 grant to install automatic doors and an accessible drinking fountain.

 “We are so proud to be chosen again for this amazing opportunity,” said Library Director Martha Wall. “This third round of funding will provide our library with an additional grant to help us continue improving our facility for all patrons.”

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As part of the grant, Selover Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. Staff will then host a conversation with residents about how to improve accessibility and use the grant funds to fund a project based on that conversation.

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To help the library understand their needs, people with mobility disabilities are invited to participate in a community conversation on Tuesday, May 27, at 6 p.m. in Selover Library’s downstairs community room. This space is accessible via an outdoor ramp. An honorarium in the form of a gift card of up to $50, depending on the number of attendees, will be mailed to those with mobility disabilities after the conversation.

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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: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”