Lakehills Area Library has been selected as one of 310 libraries to participate in round two of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association 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 to serve all members of the community by automating the front doors.
There will be a little money left after automating the doors and that will be used to improve services for the disabled.
The decision as to how to spend it will be made after meeting with the community to understand how it can be best used.
“This is something that we have wanted to provide for some time now. We are so proud to be chosen for this amazing opportunity,” said Library Director Dianna Landes. “This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents with disabilities better. It will help us improve our services to ensure this population feels welcome and comfortable in our space.”
As part of the grant, Lakehills Area Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today.
Staff will then host a conversation with residents about what people in our community who have disabilities or differences need so that they can better use library resources.
“We have many people in our community that use a cane, walker, or wheelchair. Now they can access the front door of the library with a push of a button. This will also be helpful for people with strollers,” Said Dianna. “We look forward to learning what other ways the library can change in order to provide the very best in library services to our community.”
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Dianna Landes at 830-510-2777, email at [email protected], or visit lakehillslibrary.org for more information.
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).”
