The Fort Scott Public Library was honored to be one of the 50 libraries in the United States to receive a prestigious $20,000 grant from the American Library Association and the Association of Small and Rural Libraries for their Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities Grant.

According to https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access

“Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities offered more than $14 million in grants to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities.

To be eligible, a library must have a legal area population of 25,000 or less and be located at least five miles from an urbanized area, in keeping with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions of small and rural libraries.

ALA awarded four rounds of grants to be distributed over the next four years ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.

Participating libraries 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., homebound seniors, children with autism, Deaf community members) and facilitate a community conversation with the impacted populations in order to guide the improvement of the library’s services. Grantees would then use the funds to create services or improve their facilities based on the needs identified by their audience.”

“This grant, in the amount we received, was a testament to our commitment to serving our community,” said Library Director Jennifer Gum-Fowler. “Another 250 libraries were granted $10,000 for the same grant.”

“We were informed in late March that we had won, but we were asked to wait until all the other libraries had been notified and accepted the grant. To make a bigger splash, we announced it at the Chamber Coffee last week. We will begin working on the grant in just a few weeks.”

“This grant is a game-changer for us. It will create a dedicated quiet space in the library for children with non-neurotypical disabilities, a much-needed addition to our services.”

“We will purchase a Shushbooth to do this in our limited space,” she said.

“A Shushbooth is a soundproof room with a small table, chairs, and an area for the kids to sit on the floor,” she said. “Depending on the child, it will give them a place where they can be both quiet and loud. It makes the library more accessible for the children. When not used for the kids, the rest of the community can use it for Zoom meetings and telehealth.”

“Some of the grant will also help us add therapeutic toys and items that the parents and children can check out and use. The rest of the grant will train staff to work better with these children and parents, ensuring a more inclusive and supportive environment. We will be hosting a community conversation soon about the grant, so stay tuned for that,” she said.

 

Changes on the horizon

 

“The library is undergoing a makeover to align with the grant we just received. The children’s area is being moved downstairs to make it more accessible for parents and children. We are also creating a Teen Zone and a Makerspace upstairs for the community. ”

 

“In addition, the library has received a Tech Grant from Southeast Kansas Library System, which we used to purchase a projector and screen for the events room. This makes the event room a conference room and a programming room for the community. We hope these changes will transform the library into a vibrant hub for the community to use and enjoy.”

 

The employees of the Fort Scott Public Library are

Jennifer Gum-Fowler- Library Director

Mackenzie Kaemmer- Youth Services Specialist

Samantha Miller- Youth Services Assistant

Pam Johnson – Inter Library Loan-Resource Clerk

Jennifer Carnes – Collections-Cataloging Clerk

 

 

The library is open Monday through Friday from  9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is closed Sunday.

 

Contact info: Jennifer Gum-Fowler- 620-223-2882, [email protected], 201 S Nation