Several of libraries in rural McLean County will receive a little extra funding from the Illinois Secretary of State, thanks to a one-time, newly created technology grant.
Libraries in Danvers, McLean and Stanford have been awarded small grants to help them upgrade their tech infrastructure, according to a news release.
The grants come more than two months after an initial awarding of $2 million to 113 libraries in underserved communities across the state. Now, an additional $153,489 in tech grant funding has been awarded to libraries in rural parts of Central Illinois, including Atlanta and Lincoln in Logan County and Mackinaw and Morton in Tazewell County.
The awards came after a review of the libraries' local tax base, the populations they serve and the poverty level of the surrounding community; library funding is largely dependent on the local tax base.
Libraries that received the funding have two years to spend it on eligible purchases, including hardware or software upgrades, increasing library Wi-Fi services, self-checkout stations and digital devices or mobile apps.
In McLean County, library tech grant funding was split among:
- Danvers ($2,751)
- McLean ($1,859)
- Stanford ($1,302)
In Logan County, Lincoln's library received $47,265 and Atlanta's received $3,323.
