06/18/2026
HOWARD COUNTY LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES!!!
$10,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Residents with Disabilities to create an accessible library entrance.
Howard County Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in the fourth and final round of 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 make the library entrance more accessible, we are aiming to get automatic door opener for the entrance of the library. “We are so proud to be chosen for this amazing opportunity,” said Library Director Sandra Verdin. “This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents with disabilities better. It will help us improve our services to ensure this population feels welcome and comfortable in our space.”
As part of the grant, Howard County Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. The library will host a conversation with residents about accessible spaces and use of the grant funds to make the library more accessible. This community conversation is set to take place on Tuesday, June 30 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the library. Our goal for this grant is to help make the library more accessible to the community.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Sandra Verdin at [email protected] or visit howard-county.ploud.net 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).”
