Sec’y of State Jesse White awards Public Library Construction Grants

Springfield, IL – Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded FY2011 Live and Learn Construction Grants to sixteen public libraries to help pay for essential capital improvements.

“Our public libraries are cornerstones of our communities, and they have never been more important. I am pleased to be able to award these grants through the Illinois State Library to help maintain the infrastructure of our public libraries, and help them remain the best information resource available to citizens.”

The Live and Learn Construction Grants help public libraries pay for projects such as remodeling for handicapped accessibility, new heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and in some cases new construction or building additions. Many public libraries don’t have sufficient funds to make these improvements on their own.

List of libraries receiving grants:

             —LaGrange Park Public Library District, $50,000 to relocate the library’s entrance to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and relocate parking spaces to coincide with the new entrance.

            —Mount Zion Public Library District, $3,255 for automatic door openers for the library entrance to provide accessibility to persons with disabilities.

            —Nashville Public Library, $2,712 for automatic door openers for the library entrance to provide accessibility for persons with disabilities.

            —New Athens District Library, $50,000 for a renovation project to create two accessible restrooms to comply with ADA standards.

            –Bryan-Bennett Library in Salem, $20,546 to replace an old water heater; replace the book drop; update and replace the public entrance and mechanical room doors; and replace inoperative door hardware on several doors.

            —Carrier Mills-Stonefort Public Library District, $22,508 to replace the library roof; provide new carpeting in the main library area; replace the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system; and provide new study tables to address ADA compliance issues.

             —Olney Public Library, $25,000 for a new roof.

            —Gillespie Public Library, $25,000 to replace nine windows and the surrounding brickwork with energy efficient windows and new brickwork.

            —Harrisburg Public Library District, $24,690 to install automatic door openers for the library entrances and update restroom furnishings with high efficiency fixtures.

            —Waverly Public Library, $25,000 to replace the existing chair lift to bring the library into ADA compliance.

            —Toulon Public Library District, $125,000 to help build a new 6,300 square foot library.

            —Sycamore Public Library, $125,000 to remodel the facility to centralize circulation services and expand the Youth Services Department.

            —Lanark Public Library, $123,350 to renovate 3,100 square feet of space in the Municipal Building Complex to house the library.

            –Mississippi Valley Public Library District in Fairmont City, $125,000 to replace the roof, provide new windows and exterior doors and tuck point the exterior walls.

            –Atwood-Hammond Public Library District in Atwood, $25,000 to replace a roof and skylight and convert existing handle entry doors to automatic doors.

            —Waukegan Public Library, $38,739 to replace the current heating, ventilating and air conditioning system with three modular, hybrid energy saving boiler plants.