Hey all, small and rural libraries I'm talking to you!!!! As an advisor for this historic ALA initiative Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities<https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/> grant we are coming close to our deadline. A little secret there are 300 awards available, and at this point we have 33 turned in and 173 drafted, the chances of winning a $10,000 or $20,000 grant is high. In all grants that I have done this is a pretty easy and straight forward grant to write. I highly encourage you to apply. You could purchase new braille books, start a sensory story hour and sensory-friendly items, or install an automatic door!!!! I would love to see Michigan libraries take advantage of this grant. What's good for one library is really good for us all. If you ever need any assistance, the staff at ALA's Public Programs Office is very quick to help and respond to any questions you may have. Just email them at publicprograms@ala.org<mailto:publicprograms@ala.org> or give them a call (312) 280-5045, or call/email me I promise I will not try to sell you a set of cookware or anything like that. The grant application closes on December 11, 2024, so you still have time to get a plan into place. Here are some helpful links: * Grant Guidelines<https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/guidelines> * Grant FAQ<https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access/faq> Let me know how I can help you secure this funding for your library community! Michigan Libraries Rule!!!!! \m/ best, John John Clexton Library Director Gladwin County District Library Gladwin, MI 48624 jclexton@gcdl.org (989)347-1007 [cid:image003.png@01DB3600.C2B71580]