Great Bend Public Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries to participate in 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 $10,000 grant that will help make the building more accessible to those with mobility challenges.
“We are looking forward to partnering with our community members with mobility issues and finding a project to improve accessibility in or to our building,” said Library Director Maribeth Shafer.
As part of the grant, several of our staff members at the Great Bend Public Library have taken an online course on how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. The library will soon host a conversation with residents about library accessibility and use the grant funds to improve accessibility in the library in the manner that will serve the needs best.
“At the library, it is important to us that we are a public space that everyone has free and open access to,” Great Bend Public Library sposkeman Hannah Grippin stated in a news release. “We acknowledge that this may not always be the case for those with mobility challenges. We have done our best to make our building accessible but we recognize there is still work to be done. We are thrilled that this grant will allow us the opportunity to remedy some of the possible hurdles those with mobility challenges may face when coming to the library. In doing so we hope to make the Great Bend Public Library truly a place where all can feel welcome and comfortable.”
Anyone interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation may contact Grippin by calling 620- 792-2409 extension 123 or send an email to gbcirc@gmail.com.
About ALA
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.
