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ESSEX LIBRARY RECEIVES SECOND ALA LIBRARIES TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES GRANT
April 26, 2022 @ 7:00 pm
FreeIn 2020, the Essex Library was one of 200 libraries across the country selected to receive a grant in the first round of the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small & Rural Libraries program. Essex Library was the only library in Connecticut to receive a grant in the first round of funding. The grant enables libraries in small and rural communities to address issues of concern to their community, according to a statement. In the third round of ALA funding in 2021, Essex Library was one of 50 returning libraries to be awarded an LTC grant, allowing it to continue efforts in raising awareness of income inequality with the extended focus on climate change and how it influences income inequality.
The library will use the new grant to raise awareness of climate change and income inequality through a number of events beginning with an illustrated talk by University of Connecticut Assistant Professor Eleanor Ouimet called “Storms of Inequity” on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Two book discussions in May will follow and culminate with a Town Hall-style community discussion in June.
Income inequality is identified by ALA and the LION Library Consortium (of which Essex Library is a member) as a future trend of concern. Between 2018 and 2020, the percentage of ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households and households living below the poverty line, as measured by United Way, grew by 8 percent in Essex. Between August, 2020 and September, 2021 Connecticut was battered by three tropical storms causing multi-day power outages and significant flooding, putting even more strain on disadvantaged households in the area. Dr. Ouimet’s talk will discuss ongoing research efforts to understand the risks posed by climate change to disadvantaged community members and the diversity of disaster experiences among different sectors of our community.
This virtual event on Zoom is free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call 860-767-1560 or see https://www.youressexlibrary.org/adult-services/adults-featured-events/