Antigo Public Library Receives $3,000 National Grant
By Kevin Passon, Antigo Daily Journal
The Antigo Library has been selected as one of 200 libraries nationwide and one of 11 libraries statewide to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative for small and rural communities. More than 300 libraries applied for the grant, according to ALA.
“We are incredibly proud to have been chosen for this grant. With this award we’ll be able to purchase a meeting room owl and Bi-Folkal kits. These items will help us reach out to our community members and better serve our community,” said library director Dominic Frandrup.
BiFolkal kits include a variety of items such as DVDs, booklets, pictures, etc. They generally have a historical context and are designed as conversation pieces for older adults. Friends and families can have fun reminiscing on a variety of topics such as what it was like when growing up, popular music, and how holidays and events were celebrated. The library is also creating a custom kit using Antigo hHgh School yearbooks.
The library partnering with Langlade County assisted living and nursing home activity coordinators to bring these programs and conversations and materials to their residents.
“Terri Johnson and the HeART Foundation gave us a grant toward this project in order to get even more Bi-Folkal kits and wrote a letter of support on the grant,” Frandrup said. “Joe Hermolin at the historical society helped get us more old high school yearbooks to put together the Antigo specific kits.”
Debra Witman at Aspirus- Langlade Rosalia Gardens wrote a letter of support on the grant application.
“I believe these partnerships really made our grant appealing,” Frandrup said. “Community partnerships and involvement really make a difference, and all library users and partners benefit from that teamwork.”
The meeting room owl is a device designed to be used for online meetings that allows a small group in one location to talk to others and be able to see all the attendees with one streaming camera. This device will also be available for in-library use by groups wishing to have their meetings online. This device pairs well with online meeting room software which is also available through the library.
The library will host community conversations with Langlade County residents using the meeting room owl and BiFolkal kits purchased with money from this grant soon.
If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in these conversations, contact Elizabeth Simek or Frandrup at 715-627-3724, or esimek@antigopl.org or director@antigopl.org.