Catawba College’s Corriher Linn Black Library has been awarded a $15,000 grant to be used for Digital Learning Lab pop-ups across Catawba to provide digital literacy, equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students. The grant was written and submitted by Amanda Bosch, Director of Digital Pedagogy and Scholarship and Zachary Trivett, Library Instructional Technologist. This initiative was supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-249980-OLS-21).
These federal funds are investments that help libraries deliver relevant and up-to-date services for their communities. At Catawba College’s Corriher Linn Black Library and the Alcorn Digital Learning Lab, the LSTA grant will fund mobile makerspace and 3D printing equipment that will enable librarians and the library instructional technologist to provide many digital literacy opportunities across campus.
Library Director and Dean of Learning Resources, Earl Givens Jr, said "This grant empowers the Alcorn Digital Learning Lab to continue to make progress on closing the digital literacy divide while providing opportunities for social mobility and economic growth for our students."
Catawba College’s Corriher Linn Black Library received one of the SLNC Bright Ideas grants awarded to North Carolina libraries from this year’s federal allotment of $4,843,343. The LSTA grant program administered by the State Library of North Carolina funds library projects across the state that advance excellence and promote equity by strengthening capacity, expanding access, and community engagement in North Carolina’s libraries.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. Through the LSTA Grants to States program IMLS provides funds to State Library agencies using a population-based formula. State libraries may use the appropriation to support statewide initiatives and services; they may also distribute the funds through competitive subgrants to public and academic libraries. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
For more information about North Carolina’s LSTA program visit the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA web page at https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/services-libraries/grants-libraries/lsta-grant-information or contact the State Library’s Federal Programs Consultant at 919-814-6796.
