$3,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Residents to Preserve Local History.
Allenstown Public Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities.
The competitive award comes with a $3,000 grant that will help the library preserve and protect the history of Allenstown.
“We are so excited and grateful to receive this grant,” said Library Director Betsi Randlett. “This grant will allow our library to be a part of preserving local history and we are looking forward to everything we will learn through our community conversation.”
As part of the grant, Allenstown Public Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. Staff will then host an online conversation with residents about preserving local history and use the grant funds to create historical markers for an historic walking trail created by the Allenstown Economic Development Committee.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Betsi Randlett at Allenstownlib@comcast.net, or visit http://allenstownlibrary.org for more information.
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: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”
###
