BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Approximately $3,012,150 was awarded to the State Library of Louisiana through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The ARPA and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded a total of $200 million to State Library Agencies across the United States in need of financial relief.
“Louisiana’s public libraries have worked tirelessly to provide online resources and virtual programming, access to information and materials, and assistance with anything from completing virtual school assignments to applying for hurricane relief,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “We are extremely grateful for this much needed funding to assist our state’s public libraries as they continue to serve all Louisianans during this unprecedented time.”
Nungesser and the State Library of Louisiana plan to divvy up this funding to every library system in the state.
The hope is that the funding will help accomplish these goals:
- Expand digital network access
- Purchase internet accessible devices
- Address digital inclusion by providing technical support services.
- Support education, health, and workforce development needs
“Libraries are critical to the well-being of our entire state. We’ve seen it in times of natural disasters, and the pandemic has exposed just how much our citizens rely on access and assistance provided by their public libraries,” said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton. “This funding will provide additional relief to our libraries, who are working to provide what many of our citizens need most right now – access to information, technology, and broadband.”
For more information on the State Library of Louisiana and their COVID-19 resources, visit www.state.lib.la.us.