Library gets grant for technology, science books
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 13, 2009 1:46 PM
Wayne County Public Library has been awarded a $20,000 grant to be used to purchase books that will support local school curriculums in the areas of science and technology.
WCPL will receive one of 185 grants totaling $4.7 million, awarded to libraries across the state.
The target grade level is late elementary up to high school, said Shorlette Ammons-Stephens, head of children's services at the library. The goal is to purchase reference resources as well as circulating materials, which will be housed at the Goldsboro location,
"We are very excited to be able to provide more access to materials that will potentially benefit students throughout Wayne County in their educational pursuits," she said. "We look forward to sharing this new collection with them, their parents and other educators."
The Strengthening Collections Grant is for curriculum development in all areas of science and technology, Ms. Ammons-Stephens explained.
"We're in the process of building an order list as we speak," she said this week. "We've already purchased some reference items that should be processed and on the shelves by the end of October, early November. We're excited to be able to provide access to these resources relatively soon."
The hope, she added, is that the resources will support local educators in classroom instruction and provide supplemental materials for students.
Ms. Ammons-Stephens and Matt Bolen, head of the library's reference department, worked on the grant and will continue to collaborate with the school district in implementing the grant.
"Olivia Pierce with the school system and also Dr. Ralph Smith, who is (lead) science teacher, have been instrumental in helping us define the needs of the students and in helping us identify the areas where we can be of most support," she said. "We want to encourage students, teachers and parents to come and check out these materials. Once most of the materials have arrived, we hope to have a book/education fair to display these new materials so patrons can browse this new and exciting collection."
The federal Library Services and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services were awarded by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.