Good news abounds for the Dublin Public Library after receiving several grants in the past month.
The library received a $4,743 Texas Reads grant from Texas State Library and Archives. These funds will be used for next year’s summer reading program entitled All Together Now.
The program will feature make and take crafts, educational entertainers, STEM programs, outdoor movie nights and other activities.
The summer reading program’s goal is to promote reading for pleasure to combat the summer slide, simplify access to mate-rials that aid in developing literacy skills and promote a love of reading in the community.
The library also received a $2,500 grant from Texas Book Festival with the Texas Library Association, which will be used in its entirety to buy new books.
The largest grant the library received was $10,000 from the Community Advancement Package Grant from the Texas State Library and Archive Commission.
The grant is designed to help libraries expand community services in targeted areas and for Dublin, focusing on analog outreach and teen services.
As part of the analog outreach the library is purchasing games, puzzles, manipulatives, storage cases/containers, coloring books, art and craft supplies. It is also providing an imaginative play area for the kids section.
As part of the teen services packages, the library will be purchasing graphic novels/manga, STEAM kits, and technology items. Some of these items will be utilized in a future Maker Station day, where teens will be able to have a build and play day.
“I’m grateful to receive them. For the library it means new books, new collections and filling patron requests,” Library Director Adina Dunn said. “We will be able to have fun pro-grams again next summer.”
In September, library goers will get to enjoy a Wonderful Worms program from the Master Naturalists at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 and at the monthly teen book club they will be reading “Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians” by Brandon Sanderson.
“I don’t take it personally,” Dunn laughed about the teen selection.
The library has a new friend in its lobby in the form of an aeroponics tower. The tower garden is provided by Erath County Community Bridges and features a wide range of produce including leafy greens such as kale, butter lettuce and rainbow chard.
“It’s for educational purposes on how to replicate healthy food sources at home,” Dunn said.
Eventually, the library will be donating the produce here in town either to patrons or to a non- profit.