Mineral County Library has been selected as one of the first 20 participants of an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant-funded project, Future Ready with the Library. Through this project, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), in partnership with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, will support the members of the first cohort as they work with a community partner to develop college and career readiness services for the middle school students in their area.
Assistant Director Christina Boyles is part of this first cohort which requires participating library staff to commit approximately 2-3 hours per week throughout 2017. Members will also participate in the American Library Association’s 2017 Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta, Ga. and take part in online classes through the rest of the year.
Boyles states, “We are so excited to be chosen, along with 19 other libraries nationwide, to be a part of this cohort. The children in this community deserve every opportunity we can provide them that will help them to succeed in life.”
According to Library Director Courtney Oberhansli, the staff members of this library are committed to mentoring students as evidenced by the development of youth services at the library and in the Library Page program which has funded the employment of six students since 2013. “This program will be one more way that we strive to reach and teach the youth of our community,” stated Oberhansli.
YALSA’s mission is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.
