[Libs-Or] ALA's Libraries Transforming Communities Small & Rural Libraries grants

[Robin]

Hi Everyone!

North Plains Public Library also received ALA's Libraries Transforming
Communities Grant and I highly recommend applying. Not only for the $3,000,
which is very helpful for a small library like ours, but to help
your library prioritize community conversation programs. There is so much
need for connection right now!

In North Plains, we used an already scheduled Q & A series as our model to
apply. This series, with topics such as mental resiliency and financial
wellness, was not gaining momentum and we wanted to reinvent it with the
help of this grant. We aim to bring our community together and address
pandemic loneliness over common interests such as gardening, travel, pet
care, and cooking. We are using the tools the grant provided to develop and
market these and the funds to purchase hotspots, laptops, and staffing.

The deadline is March 4th so there is still plenty of time to complete the
short application, and the ALA staff is available to provide guidance.

Warm wishes,

Robin Doughty, Library Director
North Plains Public Library

On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 10:35 AM Libraries of Eastern Oregon via Libs-Or <
libs-or at omls.oregon.gov> wrote:

> Applications for ALA's Libraries Transforming Communities grant program
> for small and rural libraries (
> http://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/focusgrants/libraries)
> are open for the second round until March 4, and ALA is hoping to see more
> applications from the western states. The grant has a very simple
> application and very minimal reporting requirements, and public, academic,
> and school libraries are all eligible to apply.
>
> To apply, a library must either serve a population of 25,000 or less
> (small) or be more than 5 miles from an urbanized area of 25,000 or more
> (rural). Individual branches in a system or district are eligible to apply,
> as long as they meet one of the criteria above. That's almost all of us!
>
> The premise is that, if the library is awarded the grant, a staff member
> (or multiple) takes part in an online course designed for small and rural
> libraries on holding a community conversation (about 4 hours), and that the
> library agrees to host one community conversation, which can be virtual,
> using the model. Conversations for the second round are asked to be
> completed by October 31, so there's plenty of time if you hope to hold your
> conversation in person, and the success of your grant isn't based on how
> many people take part.
>
> The grant provides access to the training and $3000 to spend on something
> related to the conversation -- and that could be ANYTHING, from staff time
> to books to a Zoom license to hotspots to circulate to a traveling
> makerspace kit... I think your imagination is the only barrier.
>
> If you have more questions, feel free to reach out to Stephanie Chase, the
> Executive Director of the Libraries of Eastern Oregon (
> director at librariesofeasternoregon.org) or directly to ALA for a 20-minute
> consultation (
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDPcFtf2D3J5FWYKaL_jY0tNkFgCVkBogAswnIgoMENCOs9w/viewform).
> The grant program's website has lots of resources, including sample
> proposals.
>
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