COA’s Ward Library receives $39K grant to improve support services

College of The Albemarle – Elizabeth City’s Charles H. Ward Library has been awarded a $$39,340 grant to be used for “Connecting Beyond the Learning Commons” to serve library patrons.

This grant award was supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-249980-OLS-21). 

These federal funds are investments that help libraries deliver relevant and up-to-date services for their communities. At COA, the LSTA grant will allow the Learning Commons’ Library to address dual instruction and support service formats in response to the pandemic and meet the new needs of our faculty, staff, students, and community.

“Our service area is both geographically and economically challenged, and why remote learning opportunities and support is vital to serving our community,” said Learning Common’s Director Dr. Susan Peck.

COA’s Charles H. Ward Library received one of the 47 competitive grants for the fiscal year 2021-2022 awarded to North Carolina libraries from this year’s federal allotment of $4,843,343. The LSTA grant program administered by the State Library of North Carolina funds library projects across the state that advance excellence and promote equity by strengthening capacity, expanding access, and community engagement in North Carolina’s libraries.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. Through the LSTA Grants to States program IMLS provides funds to State Library agencies using a population-based formula. State libraries may use the appropriation to support statewide initiatives and services; they may also distribute the funds through competitive subgrants to public and academic libraries. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

For more information about North Carolina’s LSTA program visit the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA web page https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/services-libraries/grants-libraries/lsta-grant-information or contact the State Library’s Federal Programs Consultant at 919-814-6796 or Dr. Susan Peck at susan_peck@albemarle.edu or 252-335-0821 ext. 2219.

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