SIOUX LOOKOUT – NEWS – With assistance from the Municipality of Sioux Lookout and several community partners, the Sioux Lookout Public Library has secured two grants which will enhance the technological services it provides: a Culture Development Fund from the Government of Ontario and a Community Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The financial contributions from these funders will allow the library to launch several exciting projects in the coming weeks.
Joanna Klein, Sioux Lookout Public Library Board Chair, explained, “we want to become a fully interactive community hub that provides technological training, a state-of-the-art meeting space, tools for creativity, and services that empower individuals, organizations, and businesses.”
The Culture Development Fund represents a contribution of $31,455.50 from the Government of Ontario (www.grants.gov.on.ca) to implement a two-year project: the Community Media Centre. The Sioux Lookout Public Library will create two interactive workstations (Research Station and Download Station), offer free courses on using technology, and become the only public library in Northern Ontario with a mobile app designed specifically for their organization.
The Community Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (www.otf.ca) represents a $14,800 investment to purchase equipment and furniture to revamp our current computer room, which will be renamed the Community Media Room.
Mike Laverty, Assistant / Children’s Librarian, remarked that, “the library will strike a balance between making the room available to those that lack digital equipment at home and allowing organizations, such as non-profits and businesses, to fully utilize the room for events, training sessions, and meetings.”
An open-house to officially launch these projects is slated for early June. Please visit the library’s website (slpl.on.ca), blog (slpl-com.com), and Facebook page for updates.
