GRAVETTE -- The Gravette Public Library added an after-hours pickup station in front of the library in December, allowing patrons to reserve items through the library's website and retrieve them outside of library operating hours.
The station is one of the many additions to the library made possible by a $30,000 ALA COVID Library Relief Fund grant.
A new microfilm reader and Ancestry Library Edition provides genealogy resources for library patrons, and new laptops expand the library's code club and digital skills programs. The library is currently offering genealogy workshops on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center.
In addition to new book acquisitions for all ages, the grant funded materials for a new Sensory Story Time that is planned to begin in 2022. Discovery Kits are available for checkout and contain equipment and supplies for a variety of science and technology projects that focus on topics such as gravity, rocks and minerals, circuits, mechanics, electricity, magnetism, virtual reality and more.
"We're very grateful to have been selected for this grant," said Karen Benson, library director. "It has allowed us to replace the broken microfilm reader, add laptops and other equipment, improve book collections and implement new programs for the benefit of our community."
The ALA COVID Library Relief Fund, administered by the American Library Association, is a nonfederal grant supported by Action Family Giving and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Gravette Public Library was one of 34 libraries nationwide selected to receive a grant.
The library is located at 119 Main St. S.E. and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.