By Shannon K. Jones
Staff Reporter
While Bayliss Library's book funding budget has been exhausted for the fiscal year, the library will be able to purchase an additional 90 books after recently being awarded a community literacy grant from the Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Foundation. This is the second year in the row that Bayliss has received the funding. Last year the library was able to purchase 102 new books with their $1,500 grant.
According to children's librarian Debbie Lehman, the funding could not have come at a better time.
"The grant is huge. Our budget has been cut like the budgets of every other library in the world," said Lehman. "This will make a huge difference in our children's room."
Lehman plans to order periodic shipments of new children's books and will complete the ordering by the end of the fiscal year, July 1.
"Last year we ordered books aimed at beginning readers as this is a literacy grant," said Lehman. "This time I am going to order books the next level up, such as young children's novels."
Bayliss staff are excited about the grant in particular as they didn't even apply for the funding.
"This is just something that came out of the blue," said Lehman. "We're very happy to have it."
Bayliss is just one of thousands of literacy organizations, schools and libraries to receive the funding. This year alone the Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Foundation has contributed more than $6 million in an effort to celebrate and promote literacy.
