WALKERTON LINCOLN TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$10,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Residents with Disabilities on Accessibility for Walkerton Unity Garden
WALKERTON — The Walkerton Lincoln Township Public Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries to participate in 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.
The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library with accessibility for all for the Walkerton Unity Garden
“We are so thankful for this amazing opportunity from ALA,” said Library Director Jennifer Cygert. “This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents with disabilities better. It will help us improve our services to ensure this population feels welcome and comfortable in our space.”
As part of the grant, Walkerton Lincoln Township Public 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 what needs to be done to provide accessibility to the Unity Garden and the Walkerton Lincoln Township Public Library and use the grant funds to further that accessibility.
This initial thought for this grant is to provide a leveling out of the ground and sidewalks around all of the Unity Garden beds. This will allow the free healthy foods that are being grown in our garden and shared with the entire community to be accessible to everyone in the community.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Jennifer Cygert at 574-279-0177. The Walkerton Unity Garden is holding it’s Second Annual Picnic & Plant this Saturday, May 20th from 11-1. Feel free to come by for a hotdog, chips, and a drink, and also get your hands dirty if you want planting our Unity Garden.
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).”
