Gov. Tom Corbett announced that 34 public, school and academic libraries across the state will share $345,430 in grant funding to enhance services and improve access to materials to local communities.Kutztown Community Library was among the recipients and received a $5,000 grant.
Funding for this competitive grant program is provided through the federal Library Services and Technology Act, which is overseen by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
‘Libraries are important learning hubs in our communities and this funding will support the development of new resources and services that strengthen the capacity of our libraries to meet the needs of patrons,’ Corbett said.
‘The First Lady and I believe that libraries are an important part of the fabric of our local communities. We are grateful to the employees who work tirelessly to ensure that citizens have continued access to the vast amount of information and resources housed in community libraries across Pennsylvania,’ Corbett said.
These funds will be used to support collections in schools and innovative projects, such as ‘CreateSpace’ at the Middletown Free Library, Delaware County, which will offer hands-on experiences with science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics to school-age children and teens.
Libraries across the state were invited to apply for grants in six categories: content creation, digitization, K-12 collection development, Moving PA Forward, technology hardware, and Try It projects.
A total of 96 applications requesting $628,101 were received and considered for this competitive grant.
For additional information about the Library Services and Technology Act grant program, visit the Department of Education’s website at www.education.state.pa.us and click on ‘Grants and Subsidies’ in the left side navigation menu and then select ‘Library Services and Technology Act.’