HUBBARD PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$10,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Students and Residents with Disabilities
HUBBARD -- HUBBARD 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 assist students and others with neurodiverse learning styles, learning disabilities, and/or other special needs. No two individuals with special needs are alike, and this project will focus on the use of virtual reality to individualize academic subject offerings as well as training for social interactions, vocational offerings, and essential social and life skills.
“We are honored and excited to have been chosen for this remarkable opportunity. This grant provides such a unique means for connecting with and understanding our residents with disabilities. This will enable the library to improve services, programs, and resources to provide an even more inviting, enriching space for this population of our community,” stated Lorena Hegedus, Director, Hubbard Public Library. She added: “Hubbard Public Library has listened and already begun responding to needs of patrons with disabilities by installing outdoor features that can be enjoyed even when the library is closed. Both the sensory path that has been in place since 2020 and the recently-installed, fully-accessible permanent StoryWalk™, complete with musical sunflowers, provide a foundation from which we hope to foster and grow creative resources for our diverse community.”
Hubbard Public Library will be partnering with the Hubbard Exempted Village School System on this grant. Raymond Soloman, Superintendent, commented: “I am very familiar with the numerous diverse services, programs and activities that HPL develops and provides to K-12 students as well as all individuals in the Hubbard community, our School District personnel, and beyond.” He continued, “HPL and the Hubbard Exempted Village School System already develop collaborative programs, including summer reading and learning programs, after-school programs, among other educational activities.”
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Cynthia Hirtzel, Ph.D. at cshirtzel@gmail.com or visit www.beyond-books.com 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: 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).”
About Hubbard Public Library
Hubbard Public Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books, and technologies that enrich, educate, and empower the individuals of our diverse community.