News Release
DATE: July 15, 2010
Board Awards Over $800,000 in Grants
At its July Board meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) awarded $800,312 in 50 grants to 48 public, academic, school and special libraries, regional library systems, and library networks across the Commonwealth under the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
The Board offers LSTA grants to help libraries meet the diverse needs of the patrons they serve including "Vital Aging for Older Active Adults", "Serving Teens and Tweens" which helps public libraries develop innovative programs and strategies for this population, and "Conversation Circles" which helps the Commonwealth's newest residents learn English.
This year the Board offered a new grant to assist libraries with patrons looking for employment. "Libraries for Job Seekers" helps libraries expand beyond the traditional ways that they have provided career development resources to meet the needs of today's jobseekers who need Internet access and career-related programming and workshops.
Libraries use LSTA grants in a variety of ways including implementing literacy programs that benefit all ages, increasing library access to underserved populations, providing advanced automation services, training staff, and preserving valuable historical documents. Click here for descriptions of all LSTA programs, and see below for a list of this year's awardees.
| Agency City | Agency | Program Name | Grant Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abington | Abington Public Library | Serving Tweens and Teens | $11,700.00 |
| Arlington | Robbins Library | Next Chapter | $7,500.00 |
| Avon | Avon Middle High School Library | Open | $7,500.00 |
| Boston | New England College of Optometry Library | Digitizing Historical Resources | $1,120.00 |
| Boston | USS Constitution Museum | Open | $30,000.00 |
| Braintree | Old Colony Library Network | Network Connections | $43,104.00 |
| Brockton | Brockton Public Library | Conversation Circles | $12,500.00 |
| Chicopee | Chicopee Public Library | Open | $20,000.00 |
| Cohasset | Paul Pratt Memorial Library | Next Chapter | $7,500.00 |
| Concord | Concord Free Public Library | Reader's Advisory | $10,000.00 |
| Danvers | North of Boston Library Exchange | Network Connections | $40,958.00 |
| Framingham | Framingham Public Library | Conversation Circles | $12,500.00 |
| Groveland | Langley-Adams Library | Next Chapter | $7,500.00 |
| Halifax | Holmes Public Library | Next Chapter | $6,992.00 |
| Hudson | Hudson Public Library | Mother Goose on the Loose | $7,500.00 |
| Lexington | Cary Memorial Library | Open | $20,000.00 |
| Longmeadow | Bay Path College | Preservation Survey | $2,500.00 |
| Lowell | University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries | Digitizing Historical Resources | $25,304.00 |
| Medfield | Medfield Memorial Public Library | Libraries for Job Seekers | $7,500.00 |
| Middleboro | SAILS, Inc. | Network Connections | $39,191.00 |
| Middleborough | Middleborough Public Library | Libraries for Job Seekers | $7,500.00 |
| Milford | Department of Corrections | Open | $15,992.00 |
| Millville | Millville Free Public Library | On the Same Page | $7,500.00 |
| Natick | Minuteman Library Network | Network Connections | $30,622.00 |
| Needham | Olin College of Engineering Library | Academic Library Incentive | $5,000.00 |
| Newton | Newton Free Library | Digitizing Historical Resources | $21,009.00 |
| Norfolk | Norfolk Public Library | Mother Goose on the Loose | $7,500.00 |
| North Andover | Merrimack Valley Library Consortium | Network Connections | $65,845.00 |
| North Andover | Merrimack Valley Library Consortium | Small Libraries in Networks | $12,500.00 |
| Oak Bluffs | Oak Bluffs Public Library | On the Same Page | $7,500.00 |
| Orange | Wheeler Memorial Library | Mother Goose on the Loose | $7,500.00 |
| Pembroke | Pembroke Public Library | Serving Tweens and Teens | $20,000.00 |
| Pittsfield | Reid & Herberg Middle Schools | Open | $7,500.00 |
| Reading | Reading Public Library | How Green is My Library | $7,500.00 |
| Rowley | Rowley Public Library | Open | $7,500.00 |
| Shrewsbury | Shrewsbury Public Library | Conversation Circles | $12,500.00 |
| Springfield | Springfield City Library | Libraries for Job Seekers | $7,500.00 |
| Sterling | Conant Free Public Library | Preservation Survey | $2,500.00 |
| Stoneham | Stoneham Public Library | Reader's Advisory | $8,125.00 |
| Stoneham | Stoneham Public Library | Preservation Survey | $2,500.00 |
| Sutton | Sutton Free Public Library | Serving Tweens and Teens | $20,000.00 |
| Swampscott | Swampscott Public Library | Serving Tweens and Teens | $13,000.00 |
| Vineyard Haven | Vineyard Haven Public Library | Conversation Circles | $12,000.00 |
| Wakefield | Lucius Beebe Memorial Library | On the Same Page | $7,500.00 |
| Webster | Bartlett Jr./Sr. High School | School Library Incentive | $5,000.00 |
| Wellesley | Wellesley Free Library | Serving Tweens and Teens | $19,406.00 |
| Whitman | Whitman Public Library | Libraries for Job Seekers | $7,500.00 |
| Wilmington | Wilmington Memorial Library | Open | $10,000.00 |
| Worcester | C/W MARS, Inc. | Small Libraries in Networks | $113,444.00 |
| Worthington | Worthington Library | On the Same Page | $7,500.00 |
LSTA is administered on the federal level by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in the Commonwealth by the MBLC. More information about LSTA can be found on Board's website at www.mass.gov/mblc