COLRAIN — Griswold Memorial Library was selected as one of 200 libraries across the country to participate in “Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries,” an American Library Association initiative that helps library staff better serve their small and rural communities.
The competitive award comes with a $3,000 grant that will cover the costs of a “pop-up library” to reach more people in the community, and will also provide for book sets for the Kindness Reading Project, a new consciousness-raising book club, an American Library Association press release explains.
Griswold Memorial Library Director Chelsea Jordan-Makely said the “pop-up library” will take the form of a tent — similar to ones seen at farmers’ markets — that she hopes to receive approval from the Selectboard to set up at the Transfer Station on various occasions.
“If we can find a way to connect, our database comes with us,” she said. “We can sign people up for library cards, we can bring new materials and we can invite people over to chat with us.”
The idea, she said, is to reach more people.
“Colrain is a really big area, and there’s a lot of folks who never make it to our side of town,” she said. The library is at 12 Main Road.
As part of the grant, library staff will receive training in leading and facilitating community conversations, a skill vital to library work today, and will host a series of conversations regarding connectivity, technology training, civic engagement and social justice.
“Only about half of Colrain residents have library cards,” Jordan-Makely said in the press release. “There are a lot of people we just don’t see. We’re excited to meet people where they’re at and hear how we can better support them, whether they need some help with tech training, or just some new DVDs to stay entertained during isolation.”
Jordan-Makely explained that infrastructure for broadband, which is expected to be completed this year, doesn’t equate to having the necessary skills to access it.
“We’re getting broadband this year, but up until now we really struggled with the digital divide and keeping people connected,” she said. “Even with broadband coming, that’s not a silver bullet. … We’re a resource for them to make these adaptations.”
The grant will also support the library’s Kindness Reading Project, a book club first initiated with the help of the West County Kindness Project. Funds will be used to buy book sets for future meetings, according to Jordan-Makely.
The Kindness Reading Project has been successful so far, she said. The first book club discussion, about an Indigenous people’s history of the United States, saw 10 people take part via Zoom.
The next Kindness Reading Project book is “So You Want to Talk About Race,” by Ijeoma Oluo. A Zoom discussion is scheduled for Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. Email griswold@colrain-ma.gov or visit bit.ly/3bYujno for more information.
“I think that these discussions really can be important and meaningful,” she said. “We have a lot of work and listening to do, but reading is a great way to engage with any issue, and it’s another way libraries can show up for their communities in tough times.”
Since 2014, the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have used 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 discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff members.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne