By Staff
NILES -- Niles District Library has been awarded two federal Library Services and Technology Act grants totaling $18,028
The first is a $1,500 grant which will provide training and equipment for the development of an online exhibit celebrating the library's 100 years of service.
The exhibit will include pictures of library artifacts such as a librarian's annual report dated 1905 and records of registered borrowers dating back to the 1890s (before the library was formally established).
It also will feature library related news articles and lots of pictures such as the 1962 groundbreaking and photos of dancers and tumblers performing in the library during a 1970s National Library Week celebration.
The library has very few pictures of the interior of the old Carnegie library. If you have pictures, Niles District Library officials would be very interested in seeing them.
The second grant is for $16,528 which will provide staffing and equipment for the development of public computer training. The training to be offered will include classes in computer basics, e-mail, Internet, Microsoft Word, Access, Excel and webpage design, as well as instruction in how to use the library's online catalog and databases. Classes will be held in the computer lab which is currently under construction at the library. The lab will open in July and classes will begin in the Fall. The computer lab itself is the result of generous grants from the Plym Foundation and the Hunter Foundation.
The library will partner with MichiganWorks, the Niles-Buchanan Senior Center and the Niles Daily Star to target audiences and promote awareness.
The Area Agency on Aging will contribute staffing for the computer lab, who will be especially well-suited to assisting seniors.
The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) of 1996, which is a section of the Museum and Library Services Act, promotes access to learning and information resources of all types of libraries for individuals of all ages. Through this legislation, The Institute for Mueseum and Library Services provides funds to State Library Agencies, such as the Library of Michigan, using a population-based formula. Michigan receives approximately $4.5 million in funds annually.
The Library of Michigan uses the majority of the funds to support statewide initiatives and services, such as the MeL databases , that benefit all Michigan residents. They distribute approximately $1.5 million in funds through competitive subgrants to libraries in our state.