The Central Arkansas Library System Foundation announced Tuesday that it has received a $225,000 grant from the Windgate Foundation.
The grant will support the:
- Expansion of CALS’ community outreach program ($75,000);
- Hiring of two digital literacy coaches ($100,000); and
- Funding for instructors, materials, tools and equipment for visual arts classes and programming offered for free at the library’s 14 branches ($50,000).
More specifically, the money will go to outfit the CALS Micro Mobile Library that can issue library cards, check items out and in, provide internet access and provide printing capabilities for essential documents.
CALS will also use the grant to translate written materials to Spanish, hire on-site translators for events and invest in the Millie Brooks MicroLibrary in Wrightsville to support that branch’s community garden, food pantry and school supplies and clothing closet.
“This generous grant enables us to meet specific strategic goals set by the library board in 2019,” CALS Executive Director Nate Coulter said in a news release. “Thanks to the Windgate Foundation, CALS staff will be eliminating some barriers for people on the wrong side of the digital divide, enriching patrons’ lives through art, and extending the educational resources of the library into underserved communities. All of this serves our broad mission to help people reach their potential.”
The library system’s 2019-22 strategic plan calls for major efforts to reach underserved people in its service area. One outcome was the creation of liaison positions for the Black and Hispanic communities. Jessica McDaniel and Maria Aguilar have served in these roles since June 2020.
“CALS is making great strides to meet people where they are,” McDaniel said in the release. “Long gone are the days where the library is just a quiet place to read. These generous funds from the Windgate Foundation will allow our outreach team and staff to head into communities with books, programming, and resources, ultimately empowering potential patrons to foster a feeling of ownership in their library system.”
Tuesday’s announcement is the latest in a series of Windgate contributions to educational entities in Arkansas and the third grant announced in the past week.
Windgate awarded $2.08 million on Friday to the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College for scholarships. It gave $4.3 million on Thursday to Arkansas Tech University in Russellville for need-based scholarships and nursing education equipment.
Also this year, the foundation has awarded $6.4 million to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro for arts education and need-based scholarships, $8 million to the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith for arts education and need-based scholarships and $469,420 to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for teacher preparation programs.
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