LeCLAIRE, IOWA (May 15, 2023) — LeClaire Community Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries in the nation to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.
The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library improve our building’s accessibility with automatically-operated front doors.
“We are grateful to have been chosen for this amazing opportunity,” said Library Director, Melita Tunnicliff. “We are interested in speaking with LeClaire residents who have mobility issues or may use support devices like canes or wheelchairs about how to be a welcoming space. We expect that having an automated entrance will benefit them as well as library users who push strollers, or have arms full of books, DVDs, or audiobooks.”
As part of the grant, LeClaire Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. Staff will then host a conversation with residents about accessibility and use the grant funds to improve our facility.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Melita Tunnicliff at 563-289-6007 or visit www.leclairelibrary.org for more information.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”
