Bright Hill Community Library RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$10,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with Residents with Disabilities May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2026.
Treadwell’s Bright Hill Community Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in round three of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.
The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library designate a librarian/s as a library resource for participants in both children’s and adult’s workshops who would serve as the intersection point between Bright Hill and other area services that may be unknown to our patrons. This person or persons will be provided training in facilitating community conversations, inclusion, and providing access in programming. In addition to being the point of contact in the library, their position will create a database of materials, technology, external resources, etc. to be made available to patrons throughout the county.
“We are so proud to be chosen again for this amazing opportunity,” said Library Director Vicki Davis. “This third round of funding will provide our library with an additional grant to help us continue what we started in the first round. This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents with disabilities better. It will help us improve our services to ensure this population feels welcome and comfortable in our space. Libraries are for Everyone!”
As part of the grant, Bright Hill Community Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. Staff will then host a conversation with residents about programming and use the grant funds to expand our reach and offerings.
Community is an important element in maintaining a healthy engaged life. Bright Hill is invested in providing library programming to develop that community.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Vicki at info@brighthillpress.org, or visit BrightHillPress.org for more information. We hope to have our first community conversation the first week of May at the library.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”