FINRA Investor Education Foundation lends support to the Campaign for America’s Libraries

CHICAGO — The Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign about the value of libraries and librarians, has received a grant to publicize the impact of libraries and librarians from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation. The support came through the FINRA Foundation’s increased level of support to the ALA Library Champions program.

The funds will supplement the $4.6 million in grants the FINRA Foundation has provided over the course of four years to public libraries and library networks nationwide through the Smart Investing @ your library® program. The program, administered jointly by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) - a division of ALA - and the FINRA Foundation, funds library efforts to provide patrons with effective, unbiased financial education resources.

Grant recipients use the funds to implement a variety of programs designed to increase patrons' access to and understanding of financial information. The grants target a diverse group of library patrons – among them youth, seniors, English-language learners, local employment counselors, members of the military and their spouses and low-income families. Participating libraries use a variety of technologies and outreach strategies to connect library users to the best financial education and information available. These strategies include gaming, online learning, classroom formats, one-on-one clinics, storytelling and staff training.

Recently, the Campaign featured the Chesapeake (Va.) Public Library System’s online financial literacy game “$ave $teve” on atyourlibrary.org, the Campaign’s website for the public. Funded by a 2008 Smart Investing grant, the all-ages game weaves what could be dry financial information into entertaining activities.

For more information about Smart investing @ your library® and to read about recent grantees, visit www.smartinvesting.ala.org.

FINRA Foundation is a partner in the Campaign for America's Libraries (www.ala.org/@yourlibrary) and an ALA Library Champion. Thousands of libraries of all types – across the country and around the globe - use the Campaign’s @ your library® brand. The Campaign is made possible in part by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations.