Search Results

Results per page:

Showing 1 to 11 of 11 results

11 Results Returned

Sort

In Results: 11 Total Projects $2,310,283.86 LSTA Funds $3,810,967.76 Match Funds

State Delivery System (deliverIT CT)

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $478,340.46

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $538,791.00

DeliverIT CT is Connecticut's statewide library delivery service. LSTA funds contributed to the deliverIT CT transport of an estimated 1.325 million items to 213 libraries in FY2021. One hundred and sixty-seven libraries were served daily. This is significantly more than the previous year, when the deliverIT CT service was shut down for three months from mid-March to mid-June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Service volume rebounded over the course of FY2020-2021 as libraries reopened their doors to patrons. This level of delivery was possible because of the completion this year of a reorganization begun in calendar year 2020 that included professional development and safety training, conversion to a contact-less system, and the reconfiguration of delivery routes. An estimated $9 million was saved in postage. All of this meant that deliverIT continued to be central to the state’ s resource sharing.

Professional Development

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $69,562.33

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $0.00

The CT State Library provided continuing education for all librarians and library staff in Connecticut, providing resources aimed at helping them work more effectively and serve their communities better. In January 2021 we conducted a survey to assess the types of training desired by libraries. We offered 116 workshops on a wide variety of topics, with 3359 confirmed registrations and 2311 actual attendees. All were virtual due to continuing pandemic restrictions. We continued to offer self-paced tutorials for all library staff through Niche Academy seeing over 7000 views of 211 different tutorials this year, by approximately 500 individual users. Most popular were workshops entitled “Living Through a Pandemic: How to Stop Burnout and Improve Customer Care,” “Preparing for the Next Wave of Angry and Argumentative Library Customers,” “From Diversity to Inclusion: How to Audit Your Collection and Why,” and “The Healing Library.” New topics included “Family Homelessness and CT Libraries” and “Community Asset Mapping for the Curious.”

Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $406,859.62

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $321,890.71

Founded in1968, the Connecticut State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) provides for the reading and information needs of Connecticut residents who are blind, visually disabled, physically disabled, or print disabled. The LBPH is a member of the the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, which is the federal program manager. The National Library Service provides reading materials, equipment, operating procedures, and the network infrastructure while the Library for the Blind and the Physically Handicapped is the state agency providing the services to Connecticut residents. This year, total active readers numbered 5621. During the funding year, the Library for the Blind added 402 patrons and 269 patron accounts were suspended/made inactive. Institutions that borrowed included 36 libraries, 32 schools, 19 hospitals, and 123 nursing and convalescent homes. In 2021, the Library for the Blind was reassigned to the CT State Library’s Division of Library Development (DLD) and as part of that process began developing more specific outcomes for its 2022 goals

Summer Reading

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $50,000.00

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $0.00

In 2021, the CT State Library shared login information with 102 libraries and provided a new Collaborative Summer Reading manual for public libraries in digital format only. The manual was no longer broken up by age, but my Tails and Tales topic and instructions for modifying programs for various age groups or families. The Division of Library Development Youth Services Consultant compiled 5 levels of summer reading lists for the ninth consecutive year. CT State Library continued to provide libraries with free access to online tracking software and carried on with READSquared. Participants could report books read,pages read, days read, paragraphs read, hours read, or any combination of methods mentioned. The READsquared software also allowed libraries to track volunteer hours, and summer participation in multiple ways. Due to the pandemic, libraries continued to offer virtual and pre-recorded programming, as well as running outdoor programming,

Consulting and Division of Library Development Administration

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $696,978.79

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $369,260.57

Division of Library Development professional staff consulted widely within their subject specialties, which included youth services, statistics, the seven literacies, E-Rate, library management, adult services, and community engagement. This year, DLD placed special emphasis on consultation on inclusive collection development, diversity audits, and digital inclusion. Training on the Emergency Connectivity Fund and the Emergency Broadband Benefit were integrated. Notable advances were made in our communication with public library directors and staff via the refinement of old newsletter formats and the creation of new publications and procedures. New partnerships were launched with Hartford Healthcare and the CT Coalition to End Homelessness. The annual collection of statistics was enriched by the addition of new questions. DLD consultants also supported the implementation of Kedge Futures School boot camps in CT and with librarians from other states. The Division’s director served as the liaison to multiple state and nonprofit agencies led training for new library directors and library boards, and represented the Division on several advisory boards.

Resource Sharing Online

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $33,255.00

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $2,371,413.18

The CT State Library provided multiple statewide services to support resource sharing among libraries. These services were delivered online and provided all Connecticut residents and students with free online access to essential library and information resources. Many of the electronic resources and databases were again made accessible via a portal called research IT CT. Additional eBooks and eAudio books were made available through the RBDigital (through December 31, 2020) and eGO platforms, where they were accessed directly by anyone with a Connecticut public library card. This project also included the statewide library catalog, the ILL system,and related training opportunities on these resources for librarians. This year in response to the pandemic closures, the DLD resource sharing team continued to offer a workaround for patrons who could not access electronic resources usually available to them at school from home. A tiered system that included Geo-authentication, temporary links, and universal naming and password options was kept in place, allowing students, educators, and other patrons to have full access to the digital resources that they needed.

Resource Sharing of Supplemental Library Collections

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $237,238.38

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $189,383.00

The CT State Library provided circulating library materials in print, audio, and digital formats to help supplement library collections. These materials were used most often by public and school libraries. Before the COVID-19 closures, library staff and volunteers visited the Service Center in person to select items, request them via the online catalog, or call/email Service Center staff with special requests. Delivery services were provided through deliverIT CT, another LSTA-funded project. Since March 2020, the Service Center has been open by appointment only and 130 library visits are recorded for this funding year. Among those visitors were 53 unique schools/libraries using curbside delivery. A further breakdown reveals that it was used by 33 schools, 19 public libraries, and once for the CT Library Consortium.

Youth Summer Career Bridging Workshops

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $3,395.25

Grantee: EAST HARTFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY

Match Funds: $1,372.05

East Hartford Public Library, in partnership with the East Hartford Public Schools and East Hartford CONnects held a series of 10 virtual programs to prepare city youth ages 16-24 to successfully apply for and obtain jobs. Workshop topics included learning about online job resources available through the library,resume guidelines, financial literacy, mock job interviews, and a virtual job fair. The goals of the library for this project were creating a stronger connection with youth in East Hartford, providing participants with the tools to obtain jobs, connecting employers with local youth, and supporting the town’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

Entrepreneur in Residence

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $7,500.00

Grantee: FERGUSON LIBRARY

Match Funds: $8,857.18

This year local businesses faced unprecedented challenges and opportunities as a result of the COVID crisis. The Ferguson Library“Entrepreneur in Residence” program was designed to assist 25 local startups and small business owners survive, pivot and/or thrive in this environment. The "Entrepreneur in Residence" program (EIR) provided crucial insights and advice to local entrepreneurs who spanned the spectrum in terms of need, from opening a business to shifting product or client focus to shutting down their business. Founders interested in the program began by submitting an intake form. Their needs and goals were evaluated by the project director and then connected to our “Entrepreneur in Residence” consultant. Our virtual program provided counseling, peer sessions and presentations from leading experts in all aspects of entrepreneurship. While the Entrepreneur in Residence provided business expertise, the library provided data, research reports and other assistance needed to complete business plans, marketing analysis, etc.

CARES Act: Acquistions and Distributions

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $322,154.00

Grantee: Connecticut State Library

Match Funds: $0.00

The CT State Library and its Division of Library Development developed a framework of need, coordinating with partners to provide support with the CARES Act funding that meets the IMLS CARES Act guidelines. Thus, the State Library goal was to use the funds to expand digital network access, to purchase internet accessible devices, and to provide technical support service to citizens to address digital inclusion efforts and related technical support. To prioritize our efforts, we used data from the Poverty/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and measures of unemployment and broadband availability. At that point in time, over 40% of CT libraries had limited internet capacity. We acquired MiFi hotspots to distribute to libraries so they could support K-12 students and others in need of connectivity. CT State Library acquired Chromebook devices, too, to give to libraries for the purpose of dedicated use for job search, benefits application and other economic development and basic support needs. We also obtained a subscription to EBSCO Learning Express / Workforce Solutions / Job and Career Accelerator database to meet the specific needs of CT librarians in areas such as workforce development

Composing Our Story

State: Connecticut

Fiscal Year: 2020

LSTA Funds: $5,000.00

Grantee: HAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY

Match Funds: $10,000.00

This planning grant allowed the Hamden Public Library to continue growing as a vital community anchor. This grant funded the hiring of a nationally recognized library consultant, who worked in partnership with the library team in the facilitation of a community needs assessment, which served as a foundation for our Strategic Focus Plan. The library team consisted of the Hamden Public Library board, staff, Friends of the Hamden Public Library, interested patrons,and community stakeholders. Our planning process had 4 parts: discussing planning process with the above, carrying out community conversations, and a final report shared at a Results Reception. Our initial cohort involved existing volunteers, boards, and partners, elements of the town’s governmental infrastructure. The partners the library involved included the Hamden Chamber of Commerce, the Hamden Land Trust Association, Hamden Women’s Club, Hamden Rotary, Hamden’s Partnership for Young Children, Media Specialists in the Hamden Public Schools, New Alliance Foundation–READy for the Grade,Whitneyville Civic Association, local businesses that participated in our Everybody Learns connectivity hot spots program, and the Quinnipiac Valley Health District. Town institutional partners include Elderly Services, the Arts Commission, and the Keefe Community Services Center. Our Project Outcomes, which hare being codified for a December final report to the CT State Library will be included in the December 30, 2022 IMLS annual report.

Previous Page | Next Page

Pages | 1

/Public/Results/?rows=20&start=0&q=*&statestr=%22Connecticut%22&fiscalYear=2020