Funding opportunity for rural, small, and tribal libraries to provide college and career readiness services

CHICAGO – Rural, small and tribal libraries can apply now to participate in the “Future Ready with the Library: Connecting with Communities for College & Career Readiness Services” project, which YALSA is partnering with the Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) to implement.

This three-year project, made possible through funding by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, aims to create a customized learning program for and with staff at rural, small and tribal libraries to support them as they build knowledge and skills around preparing middle schoolers with the 21st century skills needed to succeed in college and careers. The project also aims to help these libraries build and expand their capacity through community engagement and partnerships.

YALSA and ARSL will initially identify 20 successful applicants who will participate in a year-long experience that kicks off with an orientation on Jan. 19 – 20, 2017 in Atlanta. For the remainder of 2017, cohort members will participate in online courses and discussions with the ultimate goal of planning, implementing and evaluating a college and career readiness (CCR) service for the middle schoolers in their community. Cohort members will receive funding to travel to Atlanta and additional funds for their library to use to hire temporary staff to cover cohort members’ absence. Cohort members also receive two stipends: one to purchase CCR materials for their library and another to use towards a professional development activity, such as attendance at a state conference.

To be eligible to participate in this first round, library staff must be working in libraries with a service population of 15,000 or fewer and/or a library that is 25 miles or more from an urbanized area.

Apply now through Aug. 1, 2016. To learn more, visit www.ala.org/yalsa/future-ready-library. In the years ahead, YALSA and ARSL will also recruit cohort members for 2018 and 2019.

Beyond the effort to provide support, resources and training directly to library staff, this project will also create an online community of practice as well as customizable resources for use by all libraries.

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.