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G2S Project Code: 2020-VA-86199
State: Virginia
Fiscal Year: 2020

Grantee
Library of Virginia

Project Director
Director Name: John Metz
Director Phone: 804-692-3607
Director Email: john.metz@lva.virginia.gov

General Information
Title: CARES Act: Covid CARES subgrants
State Project Code: CARES
Start Date: 04/01/2020
End Date: 09/30/2021
Abstract: The intent of the CARES Act passed in March, 2020 was intended to assist states in helping public libraries to fund projects that would have the greatest impact in the crisis with special emphasis on digital inclusion and technical capacity building. The Library of Virginia (LVA) received $771, 257 to administer to the need of its public library communities. The LVA decided the most impactful way to use these funds was to focus distribution to libraries in the neediest communities determined using a rubric of poverty and literacy levels as well as substandard internet connectivity and reach. Ultimately, twenty library systems were selected to receive CARES funding. We LVA defined the goals for its CARES program using an existing state goal and defined three primary activities: pandemic response, digital inclusion, and educational support. A total of 88% of the total CARES funding allocation in Virginia was used in support of these activities. The remaining 12% were allocated to state-wide resources that managed b the LVA that would benefit all public libraries and the general public, including disaster planning workbooks, ebooks/audiobooks, a prorated WhoFi license for multiple library locations, and an early literacy program offered in partnership with the non-profit SOHO Foundation in the Eastern Shore Public Library system.
State Goal: Foster the development of the evolving neighborhood/ community library as a center for lifelong learning and civic engagement.

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$771,257.00

$0.00

$771,257.00

Intent(s)
Improve users' ability to apply information that furthers their personal or family health & wellness.
Personal/Family health & wellness
Library Infrastructure & Capacity

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Pandemic Response
Narrative: Like the other two activities, Pandemic response was broadly defined to accommodate the wide range of solutions employed by the public libraries in responding to the pandemic. Specifically, the intent of this activity focused on personal protection to be used by patrons and staff, social distancing solutions ranging from redesigned service areas to drop-box lockers, and self-service solutions, among others. This was by far the most popular project type planned by participating libraries, totaling 50% of all allocated funds. Sixteen libraries spent at least a portion of their funds on pandemic response, representing 80% of CARES funds recipients.
Intent: Improve users' ability to apply information that furthers their personal or family health & wellness.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Combined physical & digital
Other: Solutions ranged from implementing RFID systems to book lockers and redefined staff/patron spaces.

Quantity

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 16
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Digital Inclusion
Narrative: Sixteen of the twenty public libraries (80%) that received CARES funding from the LVA implemented projects designed to offer, enhance and/or promote digital inclusion, representing 33% of the total allocated funds. Here, the solutions were varied and were, in some cases, very creative. Expanding WiFi within buildings and to the immediate vicinity was very popular. Libraries that implemented solutions extending their reach beyond the building all talked about the importance of 24/7 access, especially in rural, mountainous communities where connectivity was lacking or even missing. Smartbus connection was also very important to Blue Ridge Public Library, Cumberland, Danville, and Petersburg, among others. Hotspots were another widely adopted approach to provide patrons with circulating devices that would allow internet capability. These were almost universally well received. Library Service vehicles with internet and computer access were investments made in Danville, the Lonesome Pine library system, and Petersburg evoking the old days of the bookmobile with a modern twist. Petersburg's vehicle is intended to function solely as a mobile technology center, taking services to where they are needed in a very financially challenged area.
Intent: Improve users' ability to apply information that furthers their personal or family health & wellness.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Combined physical & digital
Other: Digital inclusions solutions ranged from beefing up existing WiFi systems, promoting existing capabilities, and even acquisition of hotspots, solar charging stations to vehicles offering Smartbus connections as well as computer and printer access.

Quantity

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 16
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Educational Support
Narrative: Educational Support was third type of project allowed under the COVID CARES project administered by the Library of Virginia (LVA). The idea here was that learners of all ages were being adversely impacted by the pandemic, ranging from pre-school and school-age children who needed support with literacy and other academic areas to adult learners learning new schools, looking for jobs after being displaced by the pandemic, and simply learning to better their finances. Participant libraries implemented a range of solutions to address these wide ranging needs from adding more online content like ebooks and audiobooks, investing in video development and broadcasting capabilities to create their own content, like Essex County's Virtual Storyteller where a library staff member holds an online story time with younger children. Likewise, Lonesome Pine's investment in additional job seeking tutorials and online virtual counseling sessions have been very popular with 166 sessions between July and September, 2021. In all, 15% of Virginia's CARES allocation was put to use in educational support, involving 13 of the 20 participating library systems.
Intent: Improve users' ability to apply information that furthers their personal or family health & wellness.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Combined physical & digital
Other: Range of educational support solutions ranging from augmenting existing capabilities (video editing/boradcasting) to the acquisitions of both online and physical content for circulation and access.

Quantity

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 13
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
An important finding from the COVID CARES initiative that only became clear in making decisions to distribute ARPA finding, Virginia's public libraries almost universally agreed that the funding approach used in CARES to target the systems most challenged by poverty, low literacy, and lack of connectivity was the best decision to enhance the impact of the funding. The alternative would have been a formula where every public library system would have been given a much smaller level of funding. That said, the ability to support projects in the more challenged communities stretched capacity to the limit, especially in places lacking more robust support in the locality, like fully staffed fiscal departments.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
Overall, Virginia rates its CARES Act program to be very successful based on feedback from the public library recipients. Funding support for PPE and related expenditures brought a greater sense of safety, especially for those libraries that remained open to the public much of the time, technology support in the form of more flexible technology like circulating hotspots and chrome books were especially popular, and virtual educational programming was described as critical by many of the funding recipients. The LVA will give a great deal more thought to supporting these last two in coming years.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Providing digital access is certainly not an easy challenge to overcome. One of the most important realizations is that there are often multiple internet access providers in the more rural communities that provide only partial coverage for districts within a library system. As a result, hotspots which are typically provided by discreet internet access providers and some libraries discovered that these often served only a portion of their patrons, much to everyone's frustration. Book lockers were another offering with mixed results. Many public libraries received widespread endorsement from their patrons on the usefulness of remote lockers for safely retrieving and returning library materials. At the end of the grant period, actual usage suggested a mixed bag of results from widespread use to communities where they were almost never used. One of those library communities found that the lockers were actually more useful in receiving material donations than in lending materials.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
No
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:

Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative

Project Tags: