Rural Libraries and Social Wellbeing Project

Congratulations to the Staff of the Daland Memorial Library on their recent grant opportunity! Best of luck with your project!!

From the library website…

Good news! The Daland Memorial Library was one of 20 recipients of a Rural Libraries and Social Wellbeing Project Grant. The library will be granted $500 to develop a project that will have a direct impact on the social well being of the community. Through a process of interviews, surveys, and shared tools, the staff will be guided over a two month period to create and execute a project that best addresses a need in Mont Vernon. Research from past grant projects, points to data that supports “public libraries located in rural locations have unique capabilities to generate social well-being outcomes in their communities”. In addition, some key findings of the research team found

• Rural residents prioritize social connection and nature over access to amenities.

• Rural libraries connect residents in a variety of ways, over time, impacting core vitality and security in their unique communities.

• Rural library directors are bonded to the community, described as selfless and engaged, and are seen as both belonging themselves and active in creating belonging in others.

We are excited to be working with such an amazing team and have already benefitted from our early meetings. As move forward in the process, we will share with the community the final project proposal and be looking for feedback. For more information about this opportunity visit https://rurallibraries.org.