SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Libraries and literacy programs across Illinois will receive a combined $28.9 million in grants from Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias.
The funding will support local library services, technology upgrades, online catalogs, interlibrary loans and adult literacy programs. It will also help radio information services that provide news and information for people who are unable to read standard print materials.
“Libraries are cornerstones of our communities, providing Illinoisans with access to information, technology, educational resources and opportunities to learn and grow,” Giannoulias said. “These grants strengthen our libraries and literacy programs and help protect the fundamental Right to Read.”
More than $22.2 million will support library services statewide, including:
- $18.4 million for the Chicago Public Library System, Illinois Heartland Library System and Reaching Across Illinois Library System.
- $3.3 million for statewide technology and library initiatives, including cataloging services, trustee training and faster delivery of library materials.
- $461,336 for nine Radio Information Service stations serving Illinois residents with visual or physical limitations.
- $50,000 for libraries at Illinois veterans’ homes in Anna, Chicago, LaSalle, Manteno and Quincy.
- Nearly $6.8 million will fund 104 literacy programs for adults and families across Illinois. The programs offer reading, writing, math and English-language instruction through volunteer tutoring, family literacy programs and workplace education partnerships.
The grants are funded through state and federal sources, including money approved by the Illinois General Assembly and federal Library Services and Technology Act funding.
Libraries receiving the grants must also adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, or a similar policy, that prohibits removing or banning materials because of partisan or ideological objections.
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