The Horicon Free Public Library has received four grants totaling $13,200 to improve accessibility and expand its children’s and adult nonfiction collections, bringing significant outside funding to the small rural library and the community it serves. This included support from Chestertown Rotary Club.
The largest award is a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative. Horicon Free Public Library was one of only 300 libraries selected nationwide in the final round of the program.
The funding will be used to install an ADA-accessible door at the Library rear entrance. Currently, individuals using wheelchairs can access the Library only through the adjoining Town Hall during Town Hall operating hours. The new entrance will provide patrons with greater independence and access to the Library whenever it is open, including during evening hours.
The Library also received $1,200 in children’s books through the Pilcrow Foundation’s Children’s Book Project. The program provides new, quality hardcover books to rural public libraries and requires participating libraries to raise a local contribution for a 2-to-1 match. The Chestertown Rotary Club contributed $400, which qualified the Library to receive $1,200 worth of new children’s books through the program. Over 60 books just arrived at the library!
The new books will help the Library update and expand its children’s collection and provide young readers and their families with a greater selection of current titles.
Adult readers will also benefit from two additional grants.
The Library received $1,000 from the Cloudsplitter Foundation and $1,000 from the Adirondack Community Foundation to update and expand its adult nonfiction collection.
The Library also received $1,200 in children’s books through the Pilcrow Foundation’s Children’s Book Project. The program provides new, quality hardcover books to rural public libraries and requires participating libraries to raise a local contribution for a 2-to-1 match. The Chestertown Rotary Club contributed $400, which qualified the Library to receive $1,200 worth of new children’s books through the program. Over 60 books just arrived at the library!
The new books will help the Library update and expand its children’s collection and provide young readers and their families with a greater selection of current titles.
Adult readers will also benefit from two additional grants.
The Library received $1,000 from the Cloudsplitter Foundation and $1,000 from the Adirondack Community Foundation to update and expand its adult nonfiction collection.
The combined $2,000 will allow the Library to replace outdated materials and purchase current nonfiction titles in areas including self-help, history, biography and Adirondack topics. The Library also plans to expand its selection of large-print nonfiction to make these materials more accessible to older adults and patrons with visual impairments.
Together, the four grants represent a significant investment in the Horicon Free Public Library and its patrons. “We are fortunate to have a Board of Trustees for the Library that finds creative ways to fund projects,” said Wayne Butler, Supervisor of the Town of Horicon. “That includes the recent addition of the Teen Zone which was also funded through a grant and individual donations.”
For a rural library serving approximately 1,500 residents, outside grant funding makes it possible to undertake projects and make substantial collection improvements that would be difficult to accomplish through the Library’s regular operating budget alone.
“These grants allow us to make meaningful improvements to both our building and our collections,” said Kawana Smith, Library Director. “We are extremely grateful to the organizations that have invested in our Library and to the Chestertown Rotary Club for its continued support. Most importantly, these grants mean better access, more current resources and more choices for the people we serve.”
The Horicon Free Public Library serves residents of the Town of Horicon, including the Hamlets of Brant Lake and Adirondack, and surrounding communities from its location in Brant Lake. In addition to its circulating collection, the Library provides public computer and internet access, educational and recreational programming, and resources for patrons of all ages.
For more information visit the Library at 6604 State Route 8, Brant Lake, NY, call phone number 518-494-4189, or email brldirector@sales.edu. You can also visit horiconlibrary.sales.edu for hours of operation, programs, and events.
Pictured above is the bookplate found in each book received.