05/06/2026
STEWART COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$20,000 Grant Will Help Residents who use wheelchairs to gain better access to the library building.
Stewart County Public Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in the fourth and final round 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 $20,000 grant that will help the library provide wider access to people with mobility disabilities that require wheelchair use.
Library staff have noticed challenges people in wheelchairs face when using the building and hope to make the library as accessible as possible to reach the wider community of people who use wheelchairs.
The library will host a Community Conversation on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the library’s Carlon B. Sills Memorial Conference Room. If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Riwa Tanner at 931-232-3127 or at [email protected].
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).”
