Burlington, IA- The Burlington Public Library has been selected as one of 310 libraries to participate in round two of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.
The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library purchase Wonder Books and Playaways. These MP3 audiobooks will connect visually impaired community members with their collection in a new and exciting way that does not require the internet or additional equipment.
Wonder Books are MP3 audiobooks built into the spines of children’s titles, while Playaways are self-contained, pocket-sized audiobooks that are very user-friendly and circulate just like a book.
The addition of these titles will enhance the library’s collection of books on CD and digital audiobook collections while removing the barrier of the internet or additional equipment.
“I am so proud to receive this grant,” said Becky Nelson, Manager of Outreach & Program Services. “This is a continuation of a project I started in the last semester of my Library Science master’s degree. I was tasked with creating a special collection. I chose Wonderbooks and Playaways because of how accessible they are for so many people. When the Libraries Transforming Communities grant was introduced to me I thought the purposes of my project matched very well with the goals of this grant. I cannot wait to provide these wonderful devices to the community!”
“We are thrilled to receive this grant to further connect visually impaired people with the Burlington Public Library as it helps us to realize our mission statement of connecting ALL people with others, to learn about the world around them, and imagine the futures before us,” said Library Director, Brittany Jacobs. “The more inclusive we’re able to make the library, the better example we set as an organization committed to inclusivity and access for all.”
