CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) invites applications from small and rural libraries for the second round of funding of the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant.

Library workers may apply online for grant funding from Sept. 11 through Dec. 11 at ala.org/LTCAccess. Up to 300 libraries will be awarded in this second application period, part of ALA’s longtime community engagement initiative.

In Round One of LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, the Saint Marys Area School District, received funding. It was one of 240 libraries to receive a grant. These public, academic and school libraries represent 43 U.S. states including the Northern Mariana Islands.

Libraries selected for Round Two of the LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant will receive $10,000 or $20,000 to support costs related to their community engagement project; virtual training to assist project directors in developing their community engagement, facilitation, and disability service skills; a suite of online resources developed to support local programs; and technical and project support from the ALA Public Programs Office throughout the grant term.

Libraries chosen to participate in LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities will first conduct community input-gathering sessions to assure that their work aligns with local needs. Libraries will be required to identify the primary audience they are hoping to reach (e.g., older adults with mobility disabilities, children with autism, Deaf community members) and facilitate a community conversation with the impacted populations to guide improvement of the library’s services. Grantees will then use the grant funds to create services or improve their facilities based on the needs identified by their audience.

For full project guidelines, visit www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/guidelines

The opportunity is open to libraries serving small and rural communities in the U.S. and U.S. territories. To be eligible, a library must be located in an area that’s more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area and with a population of 25,000 or less, in keeping with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions of small and rural libraries.

Previous awardees are eligible to apply. Note that prioritization will be given to applicants not previously awarded.

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 part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries. The initiative is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). It is supported by a private donor.

In May 2023, ALA announced 240 libraries selected for round one funding. View the full list of grantees awarded go to www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/libraries

Previous to LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, the St. Marys Area Middle School was recognized by ALA for their program, “Empathizing with Teens in Trauma: Terezin/ Theresienstadt Museum Project,” and awarded the 2022 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award of $5,000.

According to the ALA press release, the Terezín/Theresienstadt Museum Project, ongoing at Saint Marys Area Middle School for over six years, involves students in researching the artwork, poetry and music created by teenagers in the Theresienstadt/Terezín Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Each student selects a piece and researches the history of the camp and the story of the teenager who created the work. A final presentation is created by the students to share their personal responses to the trauma that the teenagers in the camp faced.

In 2022, research and presentations were complemented with a lesson from the school social worker on how art and music can help people cope with stress and highly emotional situations. Students also watched the film “The Defiant Requiem,” a documentary highlighting the courage of a young Czech conductor imprisoned in Terezín who taught fellow prisoners Verdi’s Requiem. Students were then joined by the composer of the film, Murry Sidlin, via Zoom for a discussion and Q&A.

“Through the process of engaging in this humanities programming, we are able to allow our students to not only engage with the content, but connect with their mental health,” said Librarian Ellen Stolarksi. “By bringing in our social worker to the program, it has been reported that students who didn’t normally come to her office would come to her requesting more techniques.”

A recording of the live webinar can be accessed at https://elearning.ala.org/local/catalog/view/product.php?productid=509

Applications for the 2023 Sara Jaffarian School Librarian Program award are closed. But the 2024 application will open at the beginning of the year. To be notified about other grant opportunities from ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian newsletter at https://programminglibrarian.org/about/get-our-enewsletter