WOODWARD, Iowa — The Woodward Public Library has landed $5,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through a grant from the State Library of Iowa, the library announced Thursday.
Myrna Griffith, director of the Woodward Public Library, said the grant funds will help to purchase an AWE Learning computer and three wireless internet hot spots for the library to use to improve technology for patrons.
“This grant will impact the community by helping our youngest patrons increase their learning and to provide a source for internet service in homes who are otherwise without,” Griffith said.
The State Library of Iowa awarded individual public libraries up to $5,000 in ARPA funds for use on materials or technology to support digital inclusion efforts. The aim of the grants was to enable libraries to reach residents, especially in support of education, health and workforce development or to respond to the pandemic and implement public health protocols.
“We are excited to offer these ARPA grants to public libraries and anticipate the positive outcomes that will result, especially because we believe the ones who will benefit most are library patrons,” said State Librarian of Iowa Michael Scott.
ARPA is a federal program that was approved by Congress and signed by President Biden in March 2021. The State Library of Iowa received an allotment from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, which determined the priorities and rules surrounding how the funds may be used in libraries.
For more information about the Woodward Public Library, visit the library’s website.
