We’ve installed new doors in our entryways and new shelving in our Children’s Area, improving accessibility for all users! These projects were made possible through two $20,000 grants as part of the Libraries Transforming Communities initiative.
We're celebrating the completion of these projects with a ribbon-cutting on Friday, September 13th at 11:00 a.m.
Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities. The Pulaski County Public Library was selected as one of 240 libraries to participate in Round One of this program in 2023. It was one of just a handful of libraries to be chosen again for Round Two of the program in 2024.
The goal for our first grant project was to improve shelving in our Children’s Area by making it accessible to all users. Our existing shelving was 90” tall. This was too tall for children or people with mobility disabilities to reach the top shelves. The new shelving is 66” tall. The goal for our second project was to install new, easy-to-use doors in the library's public entryways.
As part of these grants, PCPL staff took an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. Staff then hosted in-person conversations with residents about accessibility in the library to gain their input and feedback on our plan. A total of ten people who have disabilities participated in two conversations, with more completing surveys to share their thoughts.
Through our conversations, we learned what aspects of library service were meeting participants’ needs and what aspects needed improvement. Participants told us that shelving which is too tall can cause problems not only with physically reaching items but also with readability of books’ spines on higher levels. The main doors were also rated strongly as needing improvement. This feedback confirmed that our plans for shorter shelving and new doors would be beneficial for improving accessibility.
This summer, the library installed new doors and shelves to meet these accessibility needs. New doors at the library’s front and rear entrances function more smoothly than the old ones. New shelving in the children’s area is shorter than the old, allowing users of the area to more easily find and access the materials they want.
The new doors and shelves build on other accessibility improvements the library has made in recent years, including adding a ramp from the back parking lot to the rear entrance and installing a public elevator for access to meeting spaces and the local history room on the library’s upper level.
Community members are welcome to visit the library anytime to see the new improvements and check out all the materials and services the library has to offer. They are also invited to the ribbon-cutting celebration on September 13th, which is open to the public.
Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).