The Blue Mountain Community College library is one of 17 in the nation to receive a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association (ALA).
The grants were awarded to libraries at Minority Serving Institutions across the United States that have experienced economic hardship due the consequences of the pandemic and its aftermath, to help increase academic support and achievement for students.
The grants are intended to bolster library operations and services including broadening technology access, developing collections, providing digital instruction, staffing, and expanding outreach as well as maintaining and amplifying existing service strategies or adding new ones to extend impact through the end of 2023.
The ALA Building Library Capacity Grants are supported through a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each year will focus on helping to add capacity to different segments of the library community.
BMCC’s library will use this funding to expand library and tutoring services through the development of a Library and Tutoring Center at its Hermiston location. The new library space will be anchored by new collections, primarily Spanish language, and the development of group and individual study spaces for a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.
“We are thrilled to have been selected for this competitive grant” said Kristin Williams, Library and Learning Hub director. “We’ve long identified a need for library services in person at the Hermiston center and these funds will help us start building those services.”
