Webinar recap: Resources for Wellbeing for Rural & Small Libraries

In early February, WebJunction offered a webinar titled Resources for Wellbeing – Toolkit Tour for Rural & Small Libraries. Four rural library directors highlighted popular tools for helping libraries improve social wellbeing in their communities.

From the https://rurallibraries.org/ website,

"Public libraries located in rural locations have unique capabilities to generate social well-being outcomes in their communities. Through conversations with over 200 people in eight remote towns across the US, we heard rural residents describe the "good life" in their own terms and the ways in which their local public libraries enriched that life."

The toolkit covers five areas: Belonging, Capacity, Discovery, Self-Determination, and Wellness. Each area then includes topics for study, including a PDF document along with an online option where you can hear from the primary author of the tool.

Check out these resources at https://rurallibraries.org/toolkits/

Stephanie Miller Davis Grant - Applications are Open

Stephanie Miller-Davis Library Grant Program is the opportunity your library has been looking for to fund your goals for childhood literacy. This grant program has been established to promote early childhood literacy in rural South Dakota communities in partnership with SD State Library and SD Community Foundation.

Use the funds to develop or expand a summer reading programming, add materials to your collection or book interesting presenters to share their knowledge with your patrons. Grant funds are encouraged to be used to broaden programming during this time of social distancing to include curbside, outdoor and virtual programming.

$1,000 award will be given to 25 libraries that meet specific criteria for up to three years! Act fast the deadline is February 1, 2021. Funds will be awarded before summer reading starts!

Eligibility details can be found in the grant application. Questions can be directed to 1-800-423-6665 or email Laura Kelly.

Take a look at the below video to see creative ways grant funds were spent in 2020! For a complete list of grant awardees and quotes from partnering organizations visit library.sd.gov: Stephanie Miller-Davis Library Grants.

Find some grants for your library dreams

Thinking about finding some grant funding?

During the recent Small, Rural, and Independent Libraries mini-conference, Stephanie Gerding presented a terrific 30 minute session on Winning Grants for Small & Rural Libraries. You can view the recording at https://youtu.be/YgJnZwmh_bc

With the pandemic, some libraries may be facing budget cuts, or maybe you have a wish list of things and you'd like to seek grant funding. Stephanie offers great advice and highlights some of the following resources.

• candid.org - The Foundation Center and Guidestar combined last year to form Candid.
• Candid: Funding for COVID-19 - A curated list of aid available to individuals, artists, nonprofits, and small businesses.
• libraries.foundationcenter.org - track and find funding for libraries
• nativephilanthropy.candid.org - Building equity for Native communities
• grantspace.org - Grantspace includes sample documents under the Resources tab. Also, take a look at all of the online, free training sessions at Grantspace by Candid: Search Training
• librarygrants.blogspot.com - Gerding's blog for library grants

Here are a couple of recorded webinars from Candid:

• Introduction to Finding Grants YouTube
• Introduction to Fundraising Planning YouTube

The SD State Library has a grants information guide at libguides.library.sd.gov. We also provide access to the Foundation Directory Online Professional grants database. And don't forget, due to the pandemic, FREE access to the Foundation Directory Online Essential grants database is available through August 31^st. See the information at libguides.library.sd.gov, Grants Database tab under E-Resource Information.

High speed internet needs in your community

image from https://www.usda.gov/reconnect

From the desk of Daria Bossman, State Librarian

This past December, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that South Dakota would receive nearly $10 million of the money authorized by Congress to expand broadband infrastructure in rural America. This went to assist a major provider within our state. However, additional federal and state funds may be available in the very near future.

Our public libraries need to be informed and need to be ready. Does your community (public library) need high speed Internet? Is your Internet currently unstable and unreliable? Please have a discussion with your library board and with your city/county officials. Make your case for what your library needs now and in the future. DSL access is no longer acceptable. Your entire community may need high speed Internet or perhaps the local public library has just been overlooked and in need of an upgrade.

Contact Daria.Bossman@state.sd.us to learn more.