The West Plains Public Library is the recent recipient of grants that will increase access to books from other libraries and another Missouri State Library technology minigrant that will allow the purchase of 25 Chromebooks to be used by patrons in place of the former computer lab.
Library Manager Dr. Greg Carter explained the Chromebooks, which will be placed on a mobile computer cart, will be used to resume computer classes offered to library patrons. The grant, $12,492, was awarded by Secretary of State John Ashcroft through the Missouri State Library.
There have been 28 such mini-grants distributed to Missouri libraries in addition to other funds since the beginning of 2023, totaling 146 grants at $2 million, according to Ashcroft's office.
The grants are intended to provide funding to public libraries for technology and automation-related equipment and software to improve network infrastructure and expand services.
“Libraries serve as vital resource hubs for their communities,” Ashcroft said. “These grants provide libraries with the technology to expand services to better meet patron needs.”
Grants are administered through an application process and awarded based on need, as well as the library’s ability to effectively bring the project to fruition, according to Ashcroft.
“Technology mini-grants give libraries the opportunity to upgrade existing technology and implement new, innovative projects,” said State Librarian Robin Westphal. “These grants have been a mainstay of the Missouri State Library for years, and we are excited to announce this year’s recipients of these competitive grants.”
A transition to the Missouri Evergreen consortium using a $31,173 Library Automation grant, also from the Secretary of State's Office and the Missouri State Library, will be used to purchase software and data migration, training and a mobile app that will allow patrons to order hard copies of books from other Missouri libraries.
The books will then be delivered to the West Plains Library for checkout. The system will expand the list of available titles from about 75,000 titles to about 3.9 million, Carter said.
