MARION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$20,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Residents with Ambulatory Disabilities
Buena Vista, GA — Marion County Public Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in round three of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) 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 $20,000 grant that will help the library improve accessibility to its facilities, a distinction granted to only 50 of the 300 projects being funded in this round.
“We are thrilled to have been chosen for this opportunity,” said Branch Manager Bailey Carter. “This grant will allow our library to make our space more accessible for those who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids. It will remove physical barriers to essential services like public computers, printing, and faxing, and help ensure that everyone feels welcome at Marion County Public Library.”
As part of the grant, Marion County Public Library staff will host a conversation with residents to seek input, especially from those in the community who have ambulatory disabilities, and use the grant funds to install an automatic door opener, replace parking lot lights, repair sidewalks, and provide further training for staff on accessibility and serving those with disabilities.
Grant funds will be used to make improvements only after community input has been gathered; the grant implementation period is May 2025 through April 2026. “We are excited to gain more insights from those who will personally benefit from the proposed upgrades,” said Carter. “To define the scope and urgency of the challenge, we used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which indicates that 7.6% of the population in Buena Vista experiences ambulatory difficulties, accounting for more than half of the 12.3% of residents with disabilities. We also gathered qualitative data through discussions with disabled patrons and their loved ones.”
Dates and times for our community conversations will be announced soon. If you are interested in participating, please contact Bailey Carter at bcarter@cvlga.org or 229-649-6385.
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).”
Marion County Public Library is one of seven branches of Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, a system that serves Chattahoochee, Marion, Muscogee, and Stewart counties. For more information, visit cvlga.org.