On March 3, 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) announced that it will offer more than $7 million in grants to eligible small and rural libraries to support their accessibility efforts. The grants will be offered through the ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities project and are aimed to improve the accessibility of facilities, services and programs to better serve all library patrons, including those with disabilities.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities represents an important next step in ALA’s commitment to serving small and rural libraries as well as emphasizing the essential connection between accessibility and our work in spreading the values of equity, diversity and inclusion,” said ALA President Patricia “Patty” Wong. “Made possible by a generous grant, this project will also allow ALA to strengthen our staff by providing accessibility training and other professional development around EDI issues. We are also grateful for the opportunity to bring on ALA’s first accessibility officer to oversee our work on this important core value.”
The ALA will begin accepting applications for the new grants starting in November, 2022. The grant money will be awarded over the next three years, ranging in award amounts between $10,000 and $20,000. Each library receiving a grant award will need to gather information to first identify the accessibility needs and solutions that would make the most impact on those they serve. Then, they can use the funds received to focus on improving those services.
Information on how to become an advisor to help the ALA review grant applications can be found on the ALA website.
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