G.R. Little Library Awarded Institute of Museums and Library Services Grant for Education Public Partnership

Elizabeth City State University’s G.R. Little Library is taking library education directly to students thanks to a recent $39377.90 grant award.

According to the ECSU Director of Library Services Dr. Juanita Midgette-Spence the grant was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provision of the federal Library Services and Technology Act. The funds will be used to create a mobile library instruction kit to serve the ECSU campus and the River City Community Development Corporation River City Youthbuild in Elizabeth City.

The mobile instruction kits explained Dr. Midgette-Spence will allow the G.R. Little Library staff to facilitate library instruction on campus using methods such as the “pop-up library.”

“We would set up in areas and we would talk about different things we do in the library” said Dr. Midgette-Spence.

The displays can go anywhere on campus Dr. Midgette-Spence said.

“The purpose is to reach out to students on campus” she said.

According to Dr. Midgette-Spence pop-libraries are more than tables with a few hand-outs. The pop-ups will include as many library services as possible although some will target specific information such as she said library information pertaining to the start of a new school year. Throughout the 2017-2018 school year these pop-ups will appear periodically across the ECSU campus.

The partnership with River City Youthbuild goes beyond educating young people about library services. The grant allows ECSU to partner with River City to help its participants learn skills to assist them in a number of areas such as resume writing dressing for success job searches and more.

River City Youthbuild is a program designed to give economically disadvantaged youth in the community employment skills through training and work. The classes for River City Youthbuild will take place for one hour once a month and alternate between the River City facility in Elizabeth City and the ECSU campus. There are 10 classes planned for this program.

“I am very excited about the grant and the benefit to library users by facilitating instructional outreach and making the information accessible where the users are” said Dr. Midgette-Spence. “Being able to provide these activities is key to lifelong learning opportunities for university students and our community partner River City Youthbuild.”