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IMLS staff responsible for library discretionary grants have launched this year’s National Leadership and Laura Bush grants application window, but with a twist to reach more libraries of all types and sizes. The “Community-Centered Implementation” option focuses on local implementation of a model, tool, or practice that already exists, with a project span of 1-2 years, and a funding range of $25K-100K (no cost share required). There is only one application per institution for this project type.

We encourage you to connect with an IMLS Program Officer listed on the grant pages by subject matter:

• IMLS Laura Bush 21^st Century Library Program Grants

• IMLS National Leadership Grants

DLD has been the recipient of over $1,300,000 in IMLS discretionary grants including Transformation for Libraries: EXCITE (2 awarded grants), Transformation for Libraries: The Futures School (2 awarded grants) and Connecticut State Library: Designing and Implementing a Replicable Regional Navigator Sharing Plan. We will be happy to consult with you on successful community needs assessments using DLD proven tools such as Empathy Mapping and Foresight techniques, as well as data analytics and the drafting of compelling narratives. 

For more information on how DLD can help, please contact Dawn La Valle, Director, Division of Library Development at dawn.lavalle@ct.gov.

The GELS Grant is a six-month grant initiative to support a library on their journey to providing equitable services in their community. Principal public libraries can apply for up to $3,500.

Important dates:

• Applications accepted – Tuesday, September 3-Thursday, October 31, 2024
• Application deadline – Thursday, October 31, 2024, by 4:00 pm
• Grant awards announced – Monday, December 2, 2024
• Grant period – Thursday, January 2-Monday, June 30, 2025
• Midpoint Report due – Tuesday, April 1, 2025, by 4:00 pm
• Grant funds must be fully expended – Monday, June 30, 2025
• Final Report due – Wednesday, July 31, 2025, by 4:00 pm

Learn more and find all related grant materials including Instructions, Applications, Reports, and more on the GELS Grants LibGuide page.

GELS Grant Information Sessions

Wednesday, August 21 | 1-2 pm

Register: GELS Grant – August

Tuesday, September 17 | 10-11 am

Register: GELS Grant – September

Join us for an overview of the GELS Grant and the application process. The GELS Grant will cover a six-month initiative to support a library on their journey to providing equitable services in their community. Applicants are required to submit a detailed description of how their service and/ or program aligns with the mission of the GELS initiative and the needs or interests of the marginalized community group(s) with whom they intend to work.

This session is part of the Reimagining Library Outreach and Access series of 10 workshops taking place through March 2025 that will provide library staff with strategies, tools, and frameworks to expand their reach and impact within their communities. More information is provided below.

Upcoming in the Reimagining Library Outreach and Access Series

Join us for the journey of Reimagining Library Outreach and Access, a nine-month series of 10 workshops. From August through March 2025, the series of trainings will provide library staff with strategies, tools, and frameworks to expand their reach and impact within their communities. Using their own library and local data, participants have the opportunity to evaluate barriers to access within their own communities and to reconsider their approach to outreach utilizing their existing assets and structures.

To learn more, explore the Libraries Without Borders LibGuide.

Assessing External Community Assets, Needs and Barriers

Thursday, September 5 | 1-4 pm

Register: Assessing External Community Assets

Assessing Internal Library Assets and Staff Capacity

Wednesday, September 25 | 1-4 pm

Register: Assessing Internal Library Assets

Assessing Library Utilization and Awareness

Wednesday, October 9 | 1-3 pm

Register: Assessing Library Utilization

Using Data to Inform Program Design and Library Services

Tuesday, October 29 | 1-4 pm    

Register: Using Data

Social Media as Effective Awareness and Promotion Strategies (Part 1)

Wednesday, November 13 | 1-4 pm

Register: Social Media (Part 1)

Social Media as Effective Awareness and Promotion Strategies (Part 2)

Thursday, November 14 | 1-4 pm

Register: Social Media (Part 2)

Community Canvassing as Effective Awareness and Promotion Strategies

Tuesday, December 10 | 1-3 pm

Register: Community Canvassing

Optimizing Community/ Library Partnerships

Wednesday, January 15 | 1-4 pm

Register: Optimizing Partnerships

Models for Expanding Access through Community Partnerships

Tuesday, February 4 | 1-3 pm

Register: Models for Expanding Access

Developing Internal Processes and Systems for Ongoing Outreach

Thursday, March 6 | 1-4 pm

Register: Developing Internal Processes

Webinars on How to Use the New Annual Report Platform

We are offering a webinar next month to review how to use the new platform and highlight question changes and some common mistakes and misconceptions. Please register by clicking on the link below:



Wednesday, September 4 from 3:00-4:00 pm

Can’t make the webinar but would like a walkthrough of the new platform? Schedule an appointment with Barbara at your convenience. 

The firm DEADLINE for submission of the 2024 annual report is 4:00 PM on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024. Public libraries are required by statute CGS Sec. 11-25 (a) to submit an Annual Report in order to receive borrowIT payments or other state appropriations.

Have Questions? We’ve Got Answers!

All information, programs, resources, and services related to CT libraries have been curated and organized and is only a click away! The information you need can be found on DLD's LibGuides, which offers the most comprehensive overview of library information in CT, including:

• Professional Development Workshops and Programs
• CIPA requirements
• Numbers and types of CT Library Outlets
• Legal issues pertaining to CT Libraries

Bookmark our homepage and add it to your desktop! 

And remember, your DLD Library Liaison is also your go-to resource for answers to all your questions.

Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), CSL’s Outreach Van will be used for community engagement, programs, special events, professional development, library programming support, and pop-up exhibits for all State Library divisions and units, including the Division of Library Development, the CT Library for Accessible Books, Archives, the Museum of CT History, and more!

To help you prepare, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) will host the following informational webinar:

Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program Wednesday, August 14 | 11:00 am

Register for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program webinar

During the webinar, the DAS Digital Equity Team will provide an overview of the State plan, and federal program officers from the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA) will cover all the details of the Digital Equity Competitive Program.

Digital Equity Articles

Industry Groups Demand NTIA Relax Low-Cost Service Rules for BEAD

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Discontinued

"The biggest barrier to home broadband is cost. There are more people who don't have access to home internet because of cost than there are people who don't have access because the infrastructure doesn't exist." – Angela Siefer, Executive Director, National Digital Inclusion Alliance 

Lauren Thompson outlined the new CT State Digital Equity Plan, and Professor Wilson discussed his findings about the CT digital divide and explored the type of policies that could contribute to closing it. 

Christine spoke about the role of CT libraries in modeling digital navigation programs via subawards from the State Library. In particular, she explained the impact of four pilot navigation projects undertaken with LSTA ARPA funding (Christine Gauvreau (2023) Digital navigation pilots in four public libraries, Public Services Quarterly, 19:2, 119-124), and early findings of the current IMLS Leadership Grant (LG-254838-OLS-23)-funded project called “Designing and Implementing a Regional Navigator Sharing Plan.” 

In the latter project, seven public libraries (Hamden Public Library, Bridgeport Public Library, New Haven Free Public Library, Woodbridge Town Library, Derby Neck Library, Howard Whittemore Memorial Library, and West Haven Public Library) are collaborating with community partners and each other to share digital navigators fluent not only in English, but also in Spanish and Arabic. The panel was last of a series of called CTRL+SHIFT DEMOCRACY: A Limited Series Exploring the Impact of Technology on Society and Governance.

If this decision stands, the E-Rate, Rural Health Care, High Cost and Lifeline programs, which comprise the Universal Service Fund, will come to an abrupt halt. In the case of E-Rate, this decision could lead to cutting off broadband access for tens of millions of students, educators and library patrons. We cannot let that happen.

EdLiNC, which represents the major K-12 public and private education associations and the American Library Association that helped enact and implement the E-Rate program, rejects the 5th Circuit's absurd decision and vows to fight it. We will not allow a narrow two vote majority decision upend the E-Rate, which has almost single-handedly made ubiquitous broadband access a reality in our nation's schools and libraries over the last 25 years. 

We plan to work with FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel and our allies in Congress to reverse the 5th Circuit's ruling and ensure that E-Rate will continue to provide all students educators and library patrons with access to the online world as envisioned by the bipartisan Congressional authors of this program:

• AASA: The School Superintendents Association
• American Federation of School Administrators
• American Library Association
• Association of Education Service Agencies
• Association of School Business Officials International
• CoSN – Consortium for School Networking
• National Association for Pupil Transportation
• National Association of Elementary School Principals
• National Association of Federally Impacted Schools
• National Association of Independent Schools
• National Association of Secondary School Principals
• National Catholic Educational Association
• National Education Association
• National Rural Education Association
• National School Boards Association "

Need More Information About the FCC's New E-Rate Order? The ALA recently released a FAQ sheet about the FCC’s Order on the E-Rate Support for Off-Premises Use of Wi-Fi Hotspots and Services. 

The August meeting will provide space to discuss the two digital equity grant opportunities coming soon. 

Welcome & Introduction:

Dawn La Valle Director, Division of Library Development, CT State Library

Presenters: 

Azadeh (Azi) Jamalian, PhD, Founder/CEO, The GIANT Room

Rebecca Schifilliti, Director of Product, The GIANT Room

Panelists:

Jen Shuart, Ansonia Public Library

Claudette Stockwell, Killingly Public Library

Valerie Toner, Bristol Public Library

This panel presentation will kick-off a new grant year with the GIANT Room which will include a series of learning workshops in the Fall and a new opportunity for more libraries to participate in holding their own community programs with the GIANT Room.

Visit DLD’s GIANT Room Libguide for more information and pictures from some of the programs.

Participants will leave being able to confidently identify their own library's existing outreach strategy and effectively evaluate how current strategies support library goals.

This session is part of the Reimagining Library Outreach and Access series of 10 workshops taking place through March 2025 that will provide library staff with strategies, tools, and frameworks to expand their reach and impact within their communities. Using their own library and local data, participants have the opportunity to evaluate barriers to access within their own communities and to reconsider their approach to outreach utilizing their existing assets and structures.

But when you're cataloging books, handling reference requests, managing acquisitions, etc. plus dealing with the challenges of the customers/patrons who are especially needy, you find yourself multitasking and it's exhausting.

In this upbeat and interactive Zoom session, learn how to:

• Single task
• Minimize disruptions
• Give yourself breaks
• Bundle non-essential tasks
• Ask for help

Designed for library staff, these critical steps will help you wear many hats without losing your head.

Visit our calendar

Public libraries can find their link and other valuable information on our Workforce Solutions Libguide page.

Targeted Learning Centers Include:



• Job and Career Accelerator: Career exploration tools including skills and interest assessments, job search and internship search engines, resume and cover letter builders, interviewing tips, and information for career changers.
• Occupational Test Preparation: Licensing, certification and program admissions test prep resources for a wide variety of in-demand careers such as allied health, nursing, education, the trades, and the military (ASVAB).
• Workplace Success Skills: Interactive tutorials, helpful e-books and articles to support the development of soft skills such as teamwork, professionalism and communication as well as skills in reading and math, media literacy and personal finance.
• Computer Skills: Self-paced video tutorials covering computer and internet basics and the most popular workplace software applications from Microsoft Office and Adobe.
• High School Equivalency: Tutorials, practice tests, eBooks, and flashcards plus guided support to help users achieve higher scores on the GED^®, HiSET^® and TASC high school equivalency exams.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Training Center: Courses in a wide array of leading-edge technology topics.
• Spanish-Language Resources: Review exercises to improve writing, vocabulary, grammar and math skills, as well as practice tests for the GED^® and U.S. citizenship exam.

Curious to learn more? Click the link to view the Workforce Solutions informative webinar from EBSCO.

We also provide 38 additional databases in researchIT CT. These databases cover all subjects and are great for students and those pursuing lifelong learning.

For more information about Workforce Solutions and the researchIT CT Program, contact Brad Bullis at Bradley.bullis@ct.gov.

New eAudio Titles Now Available in the Palace Project app!