This news with respect to our neighboring Laurens County. Source: golaurens.com

Laurens School District 55 has received a $50,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The grant is among the first projects funded through the Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries initiative, launched in 2018. The agency received applications from 114 organizations that requested grants totaling $4,931,919. IMLS selected 30 grantees who will receive a total of $1,286,581 and will voluntarily match these awards with an additional $405,785.

“Small libraries are the backbones of so many communities across the U.S.,” said Cyndee Landrum, Deputy Director of Library Services. “The first awards under this special initiative will address the unique needs that tribal, rural, and small libraries have identified, investing in new, promising practices on a national scale.”

This new funding opportunity was designed to strengthen the ability of small and/or rural libraries and related organizations to serve their communities. Grant proposals could focus on transforming school library practice, community memory, or digital inclusion work, and award sizes range from $10,000 to $50,000.

LCSD 55 will provide its teacher librarians and teachers with the training required to transform its school libraries into collaborative and self-directed, inquiry-based learning communities for students. Teacher librarians will participate in professional development opportunities to learn more about cross-disciplinary and inquiry-based methods.

This professional development will also incorporate mentoring opportunities and a professional learning community, which will encourage professional collaboration and support sharing best practices. The teacher librarians will facilitate workshops for district educators and form partnerships with classroom teachers. Together, school librarians and teachers will transform the district’s 20th century library-media centers into 21st century learning hubs.