Kish Library utilizes grant to maintain, expand services during pandemic

Through the assistance of a grant from the American Library Association (ALA), the Kishwaukee College Library has maintained its dedicated service to students and the community through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July, the Kish Library was awarded $40,000 in ALA COVID Library Relief Funds to help support library services. Over the past several months, the Kish Library has utilized those funds to adapt operations to meet current student needs, including transitioning to provide a blend of remote and in-person services.

“The ALA grant truly helped the Library sustain the services our students both expect and need during this challenging time,” said Frances Whaley, Director of Library and Academic Support Services. “Through resourceful spending, we were able to expand our operations to help meet the changing needs of our community.” 

Among the efforts, the Library:

• Hired and trained four temporary, part-time employees to maintain in-person and online services after COVID-related budget constraints.
• Created extensive instructional guides and videos to help students navigate online resources.
• Investigated new technologies and created accessibility guidelines for developing instructional materials.
• Purchased more than $6,000 in books to support new curricular programs and update collections for accredited programs.
• Subscribed to new online tools like NoodleTools and PowerNotes to help students cite and manage sources.
• Translated key departmental materials for the Spanish-speaking community.
• Held the Commonly Grounded event with presenter Jeff Foster from Common Grounds Café in Sycamore to encourage entrepreneurship, community engagement, and the value of education among the community with a focus on disadvantaged populations.

The ALA is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. The Kishwaukee College Library was one of 34 institutions to receive ALA COVID Library Relief Funds.

To learn more about the Kishwaukee College Library and the services it provides, visit www.kish.edu/library.