We are excited. And happy. And proud to announce that the Homer Township Public Library has just received three LSTA grant awards, totaling $108,900.241 Illinois libraries were awarded FY08 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants totaling $3.9 million. Our library submitted three grant projects that received funding. We extend our appreciation to Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White and to our state officials who continue to recognize the value and importance of LSTA funding for Illinois Libraries. Read Secretary of State Jesse White's press release here. Library pictures are posted here.
Pictured: Sara McCambridge (Assistant Director), Sheree Kozel-La Ha (Library Director), and Alex Tyle-Annen (Adult Services Director) holding three grant checks at an Illinois State Library reception.
Tax caps equal 'less' for Homer residents
Grants supplement our tax-capped budget. Homer Library has lost more than one million dollars in revenue due to tax caps over the past ten years. That's correct, over one million dollars! Think of how that money could have benefited citizens, both young and old, who use the library (600 daily) for their educational and recreational use. It's quite a significant loss. Homer Library has never had a tax rate increase in our 25-year history. In fact, tax caps continue to erode our current rate.
Grant Funding - why it helps...
Grant funding allows us to go that extra mile for our customers, to try new and innovative programs, and to provide more in collections and specialty programming. Through grant support we have initiated programs to fund family art projects, supported children's literacy with reading to therapy dogs, developed a new collection of Polish and Spanish materials, purchased a bookmobile, and much more. Great community services that we envision can come to life. Library staff pro-actively seeks outside funding. The truth is- we write successful grants to provide the best in services, programs, and collections for you.
YOU are the heart of library services
We seek your input and are listening to you - our customer. The Library continues to evolve and change. Our goal is to keep the library essential and meaningful to you. This means encouraging your participation and dialogue, reaching out to new users in new ways, and creating community. We need your communication to ensure the library remains vital and convenient.
We continue to ask: What do you want to see here? How can we make the library a destination point for you? How can we assist you better in the area of remote access? What programs, collections, services, etc. would you and your family benefit from? Help me keep the user at the heart of library services - community conversation is essential for this to happen.
