SOLON — Solon 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 increase access to the Library, it’s programs, and services.
“We are so proud to be chosen for this amazing opportunity,” said Library Director Liz King. “This grant aligns perfectly with our newly-approved Strategic Plan that focuses on ensuring our library space, resources, and programs are inclusive and accessible for the entire community. It will allow our Library Staff to get to know our residents with disabilities better and include them in our plans to make each member of our community feel welcome and comfortable in our library.
As part of the grant, Solon Public Library Staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. Seniors ages 65 and up will be our primary focus for this accessibility grant. In partnership with local Senior organizations, we will host community conversations with Senior residents about how our Library can become a more accessible space for all Solon residents.
Seniors make up nearly 20% of our population, the library is one of the only meeting spaces for this population and this audience has connections to the majority of households throughout the Solon area. Some statistics that helped to shape our grant application are that 27% of Solon residents are retired, 1 in 4 US residents have a disability, and that stat rises to 2 in 5 for individuals over 65. In our community conversations, we will be looking for input on library resources in multiple formats, ease of movement within the library, comfortable seating for all body types, virtual webinar-style access to programs, and an engaging children’s area accessible for senior caregivers.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Liz King by calling 319-624-2678 or emailing to [email protected]. Once the community conversations have been scheduled, additional information can be found on the Solon Public Library website www.solon.lib.ia.us.
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).”