Hancock school library grant above and beyond expectations
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HANCOCK -- The Hancock School Public Library has been awarded a Innovative Community Library Grant totaling $212,000, according to an Aug. 18 release from the library. The grant is through the Michigan Department of Education.
Library Manager Boni Ashburn said the grant rewards the successful, ongoing partnership between the Portage Lake District Library and the Hancock Public Schools in operating the Hancock School Public Library.
The partnership between Portage Lake District Library and the Hancock School District was initiated and funded four years ago by the Hancock Foundation in an effort to rejuvenate the Hancock Library.
"While it has been highly successful," said Ashburn, "the Library has been outgrowing its budget, limiting the scope of necessary improvements."
Eligibility for the competitive grant was dependent on several criteria: the engagement and connection of readers, the promotion of literacy and community involvement, and partnership and innovation in addressing literacy gaps.
Ashburn said the initial grant application was for $29,000 to fund a literacy program targeting 6th and 7th grade readers.
"I had noticed some statistical difference between the amount of materials the 6th graders check out once they come here from the elementary school and they have this big, huge library," said Ashburn.
But after 6th grade, over the summer, a lot of students do not have the ability to get to the library and a decline in enthusiasm was noticed in 7th graders checking out even recreational materials.
The idea was created to send 6th graders home with pre-loaded electronic reading devices, Ashburn referred to as Kindles, at the end of the school year. The Kindles would contain approximately 30 books, so that students would have access to all summer long.
"If they don't have internet at home, or they don't have computers," she said, "they will still be able to read on a Kindle. So, what we're trying to do is see if we can't maintain that enthusiasm they have in 6th grade.'
The program, she said, is not completely worked out yet. It will be developed in conjunction with the 6th and 7th grade English teachers. The details yet to be determined will include what types of materials to have downloaded, and how the program will be worked in with the curriculum. They have until June, 2023 to have it in place, she added.
The original application also included funding for Kindles for use by the general public library users, too, she said.
The grant will also fund the relocation of the young children's section of the library to the former computer lab adjacent to the library, which will significantly improve its quality and its use.
At 10 a.m. every Friday, the library conducts a story time. It's with mixed ages, Ashburn said, pre-school through kindergarten. But sometimes, the library receives students from other classes.
"So, it will be nice to have a dedicated children's area, where we can close the door for story time," she said, "and not get interrupted. The dedicated space, which is larger than that designated for young children currently, will also allow for added activities and programs.
The grant will allow for an overhaul of the non-fiction section, which is in need of updating, Ashburn stated. The library has been restricted by a small purchasing budget for the past four years, she said.
Many of the shelved nonfiction books have already been removed, because they are outdated. She cited medical books as an example, saying that as a rule, those types of materials generally become outdated within five years of their publishing.
"We have stuff in here that was published 20 years ago," she said. Additionally, nonfiction materials once expected in a library are now easily available on the internet. Rather than going to the library to look up the population of Canada, for example, people can simply google it.
A focus of updating the nonfiction section will shift to narrative nonfiction that is more complex than statistics and facts and figures. Junior nonfiction will be revamped as well.
Also planned is purchasing new furniture, including new tables designed for single-use rather than groups, as student class usage is changing over time.
The graphic novel section will also be expanded and relocated as, she said, that has seen the greatest growth in popularity in the library.
"We are honestly flabbergasted at the award amount," Ashburn said, "and so excited to use it to not only fund that literacy program, but to improve our library in so many ways."
As the Library has grown, so has its wish list, she said. In addition to the above-mentioned large-scale improvements, others include new and additional shelving along the walls, Ashburn also plans to add fun new programming and services, and make functional and maker-space upgrades, in addition to the literacy program that she had hoped to do in the first place.
The Hancock School Public Library is free to use and open to the public. There are no residency requirements to become a patron- anyone can get a Hancock Library card. Please contact the Hancock School Public Library at 906-487-5925 x8005 or by email at hancock@pldl.org