Library receives $5,000 grant
The Demopolis Public Library received a $5,000 grant from the Dorothy Louise Kyler Foundation in Holland, Ohio. This 501c3 Foundation focuses on education and human services.
The grant will enable the Demopolis Public Library to expand its book collection for emergent readers in preschool through second grades and the collection of chapter books for reluctant readers in third-sixth grades. The library currently has 827 Easy Readers for preschool-second graders and these checked out 3,665 times last year. It has 2,279 chapter books for grades third-sixth and these checked out 4,176 times last year. With this grant, the library will be able to add new titles to its collection, which will increase interest and circulation.
For many children, reading just doesn’t come easily. Some children have difficulty connecting letters and their corresponding sounds. Others have yet to discover a special story that sparks their imagination and shows just how fun reading can be. In an effort to reach reluctant readers, the library plans to add high interest titles, eBook titles, audiobooks, and graphic novels. The love of reading has so many benefits, including improved listening skills and building an imagination. Students who read independently become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who do not.
“This grant is the best Christmas present ever,” says Library Director Morgan Allen. It fills a gap we had in our current budget, so we can continue to provide new books and materials that help spark children’s imagination and foster a lifelong love of reading. We want to grow readers here at our library- readers that grow up to be decision makers and library supporters. The vast mass of knowledge in our world can only be gained by reading, and if we want our Demopolis children to be smart, they have to acquire a love for reading.”
For more information about the library, call 334.289.1595 or visit www.demopolislibrary.info.