The Colorado State Library today announced grants to 16 school, public and academic libraries for innovative projects designed to improve library services and life-long learning.  The proposals are funded through the federal Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) allocation to the Colorado Department of Education and Colorado State Library.

This year’s grants totaled nearly $257,000. All grants addressed a goal in the long-range plan to improve library services to Colorado students and adult learners that support educational achievement and lifelong learning.

Awards were made to:

• Academy School District 20, Summit Preschool and Middle School Programs, Library and Literacy Partnership Program, $7,300
  At-risk middle school students will serve as mentors to at-risk preschool students. They will meet biweekly to select books, read together and engage in questioning activities.

•  Adams State College, Nielsen Library, Mobile Learning Center and Laptop Loan Program, $18,400 
  The Nielsen Library program will improve access to technology in the San Luis Valley and help the underserved student population use resources at Adams State College. Training sessions will be offered at public schools, community centers, retirement centers and nursing facilities.
   
• Arapahoe Library District, Parent and Child Literacy Project, $9,462 
  This grant provides library services to the children of non-English speaking adults. The grant targets children aged three to 11 in the Sheridan branch and new Glendale branch.
   
• Boulder Valley Family Literacy Program, General Education Development (GED) at the Library: A Gateway to More, $18,012
  Free adult GED study classes will be offered in the Boulder and Lafayette public libraries
   
• Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), Enhancing Colorado Library Story Times: Early Literacy Skills and Messages, $17,922
  Early literacy and library story time practitioners will train library staff in 10 small to medium sized public libraries on the principles, skills and messages of the “Every Child Ready to Read” program developed by the Public Library Association.
   
• Colorado Springs School District 11, Penrose Elementary Library Media Center, Using Digital Media and Storytelling to Improve Literacy, $8,445
  Students will improve literacy skills through writing stories and scripts which they will then use to produce digital media projects.

• Denver Public Library, Central Branch, Technology Empowerment Program, $20,000
  Customers will have improved access to computers, computer training classes and individual assistance in a new technology training room.
   
• Douglas County Libraries Foundation, Book Start, $20,000
  Early literacy training will be available for child care providers in 48 child care facilities. Twenty-five volunteers will be trained and 1,200 children will receive close to 5,500 hours per week of literacy instruction.
   
• Estes Park Public Library Foundation, Estes Valley Partnership to Expand and Enrich Informal Education, $18,533
  Estes Park Public Library in partnership with various organizations will provide educational after school programs for children attending grades four through eight.
   
• Fort Collins Regional Library District, Book Express, $20,000
  The library district will partner with the Poudre School District to pilot a book by mail program. This program will target approximately 800 preschool through sixth grade children in rural areas of the library district.
   
• Fort Lewis College, John F. Reed Library, Fort Lewis College Research Commons, $14,350
  An electronic collection of original student work consisting of research papers, portfolios and creative works will be formed. The digital repository will serve as a publishing, research and learning instrument for students.  
   
• Johnson & Wales University, Connecting Information Literacy to Learning, $19,929 
  Students will have access to a larger computer lab where they will develop skills in obtaining, evaluating, and using information in an effective and socially responsible manner.
   
• Loveland Public Library, Loveland Kids Love to Read: Loveland Public Library Literacy Outreach, $16,581
  The Loveland Public Library in collaboration with the City of Loveland Housing Authority will provide 90 minute bimonthly literacy programs with groups of children ages three to 14 years of age in six low income complexes in Loveland. Their goal is to have 1,632 contacts with resident children. 
   
• Pikes Peak Library District, Ready Set Read! $16,374
  Staff training will be provided to assist parents, teachers, and tutors in the identification of appropriate reading level materials for students. All new and existing materials will be remarked and shelved according to reading level making them easier to locate.
   
• Pueblo County School District 70, Vineland Elementary School Media Center, The Missing Link-Linking Student Achievement with the Community Library, $1,517
  Students and their parents will have access to an upgraded and expanded Web based Accelerated Reader Program that will encourage and foster student achievement with the use of existing community library resources.
   
• State Library’s Special Populations & Issues Committee, Community Conversations, $30,000
  Ten to 12 local libraries will create programming that, via outreach to community leaders, partners, and diverse participants will foster dialogue and lifelong learning about cultural differences.

For more information regarding these grants, contact Jean Marie Heilig, LSTA Coordinator at 303-866-6731 or heilig_j@cde.state.co.us