Office of the Mayor City of Niagara Falls
For Immediate Release
Niagara Falls Public Library selected for competitive federal humanities grant;
$10,000 to help library recover from COVID-19 Pandemic
(Niagara Falls, New York – April 14, 2022) The Niagara Falls Public Library has been selected as one of 200 libraries nationwide for the American Library Association’s American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries opportunity, an emergency relief program to assist libraries that have been adversely affected by the pandemic.
With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Niagara Falls Public Library will use funds to anchor itself in the community as a strong humanities institution. The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library deliver excellent programs and services related to culture, history, literature, and other humanities subjects.
“The Niagara Falls Public Library will use the grant funds to work towards the inventorying and cataloging of the oversized materials in the Local History Department,” said Sarah Potwin, Executive Director of Niagara Falls Public Library. “This collection is rich with information about Niagara Falls and includes architectural drawings, blueprints, maps, and many more visual examples of our city’s history.”
Mayor Robert Restaino applauded the library’s work to secure the grant, saying, “This money will allow our library to undertake a significant project which will launch it into the new age of how libraries and their resources are used. Once complete, residents and our neighbors from all over Western New York will have the opportunity to easily get an up-close-and-personal look at the history of our city.”
“Libraries have faced significant hardships throughout the pandemic —from budget cuts to staff furloughs to building closures — especially in our communities of the greatest need,” said ALA President Patty Wong. “This crucial support from NEH will enable our beloved institutions, and the dedicated people who run them, to rebuild and emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.”
American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021."
More than 370 libraries applied for the grant, according to ALA. View the full list of selected libraries.
The participating libraries, selected through a competitive, peer-reviewed application process, include public libraries, academic/college libraries, K-12 libraries, and tribal, special and prison libraries. The recipients represent 45 states and Puerto Rico. Libraries were chosen with an emphasis on reaching historically underserved and/or rural communities.
To learn more about Niagara Falls Public Library’s plans for the grant, please visit http://www.nfplkids.weebly.com/.
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