Library Awarded $50,000 CARES Grant for E-books, E-audiobooks, Hot Spots
Look for more e-books, e-audiobooks and Wi-Fi hot spots from the Springfield-Greene County Library after it was awarded a federally funded CARES Act Grant of $50,000.
The grant will provide $5,517 for 20 additional hot spots, and $44,483 will go towards the purchase of e-books and e-audiobooks.
The project is designed to provide Wi-Fi access to more members of the community with the hot spots they can check out, and responds to safety concerns surrounding COVID-19 by providing safe and timely access to digital formats of e-books and e-audiobooks.
“Now more than ever, some of our patrons need Wi-Fi access working from home or for their children’s schooling,” said the library’s Planning and Development Director Gay Wilson. “Last fiscal year, the library circulated a total of 705 Wi-Fi hot spots. Currently, the library has 67 hot spots in the collection, with 237 patrons on the waiting list.
“In these unprecedented times due to COVID-19, the Library closed for a couple months,” Wilson added. “During that time, we were able to provide access to the Library’s digital e-book and e-audiobook collections. Of the 42,764 checkouts, there were 915 patrons that were using this format for the first time. As we prepare for the future, expanding our digital collections will provide our patrons safe and quick access to materials without leaving their homes.”
The project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
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