Virginia's senators announced that three of Virginia’s colleges and universities have been awarded grants under Laura Bush’s 21st century library program.
Last week, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (VA) issued a press release which revealed that federal funding will be awarded to the Virginia Community College System, Hampton University, and Virginia Tech. The grants are being awarded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The schools will receive over $644,000 via National Leadership Grants and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program based in Virginia.
The federal funding will be used in various ways, from improving library and information services, to helping the institutions grow and support staff, students, and research. Hampton University will be receiving $99,980 of the $644,392 in federal funding, which will be used towards minority recruiting in the field of library and information science, while the state’s community colleges will receive the bulk of the awarded funds, to be used in a project dedicated to the development of new and innovative services that will help to improve student success and library support. Virginia Tech will receive $95,024, which will be used towards the development and reuse of virtual reality and 3D collections within the school’s libraries.
Grants awarded by the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program are given to projects within institutions and organizations which support the recruitment and education of new library staff and leaders. The National Leadership Grants for Libraries, on the other hand, helps to fund library projects which have shown the potential for the advancement of practices using new tools, models, services, and research findings in the library and archival fields, as well as projects addressing challenges faced by libraries.