In keeping with their goal of increasing services to different segments of the public, staff members at the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library recently sought and received funding for two grants – one that will provide an after-school program for students and another that will provide funding for a computer training lab.
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In keeping with their goal of increasing services to different segments of the public, staff members at the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library recently sought and received funding for two grants – one that will provide an after-school program for students and another that will provide funding for a computer training lab.
A $5,365 grant will allow the implementation of the library?s After School Connections program, which will run Oct. 7-Nov. 25. The program is designed to provide positive and enriching experiences for youth, which will develop their reading skills, introduce library services and stimulate their use, as well as provide opportunities for positive interactions with the students? peers and adults.
Shanna Griffin, a social work student at North Central Missouri College who works at the library through the work/study program, will coordinate the program, which will accept 30 students for each of the two age groups to be served. Mrs. Griffin said the process in developing the program began with meeting with students who had participated in the after-school programs through the Trenton R-9 School District (for which grant funding has been cut) and asking what they liked and disliked about the program. They found that the students really liked having their homework completed when they got home, but felt that the students should be grouped according to what kind of help they needed at the time. The students also felt that additional helpers were needed to allow for individual help to be given, when needed.
Taking those comments into account, Mrs. Griffin said she plans to offer a program that will provide both the homework and enrichment components. Students will ride the bus from either Rissler Elementary School or Trenton Middle School to the library, where they will have a snack before starting their homework. A group activity will take place before cleanup time after which the students will be picked up by their parents at 5 p.m.
Students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades will participate on Tuesdays, with students in seventh and eighth grades to participate on Thursday. Each program can only accommodate 30 students and those who are eligible to attend will receive a letter in the next couple of weeks. Students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and a waiting list will be established in case a student drops out of the program.
Depending on grant funding and the level of interest, it is possible that the program will be continued into the spring semester.
Mrs. Griffin said students will not be allowed to miss more than three sessions and are expected to be respectful of library equipment and other program participants and staff at all times. An Internet usage agreement form will also be required of all students.
The second grant received by the library recently is a $13,597 grant that will create a computer training lab on the third floor of the library.
?When I first looked at this grant, I was thinking of our teenagers,? said Library Administrator Lynne Moos. ?Then I realized that it could be for everyone, all ages, even our staff. They?re always saying ?I wish I knew how to do this, or I wish I knew how to do that.? This is something for all ages and can still be used for our training.?
The lab will include 10 computers and will double the Internet access in the library and will support the library?s ongoing need to train library staff in the use of new and changing information delivery tools. In addition, the lab will provide a means to deliver patron-focused classes so the public can become familiar with the information technology services of the library. Library staff at Trenton will also be able to provide a training facility that can be used in cooperation with libraries in the immediate geographic area and with the state library agency to offer a broad range of training opportunities for the public library community.
Corenna Still, a current staff member at the library, will coordinate the program and it is expected that classes to be offered through the lab will include internet usage, home publishing, web site design, buying and selling through Internet auction sites, research and e-mail.
Both grants are being funded through the Library Services and Technology Act, which is administered by the Missouri State Library.
Anyone interested in helping with the after school program, or those who are questions or comments about either of the new programs may contact the library at 359-3577.