$40,000 Update Revitalizes School Library

Sterling Jr./Sr. High School Library, Sterling, KS, was awarded a $20,000 Libraries Transform Grant from the South Central Kansas Library System. The grant, along with matching funds from the district, was used to update the library space. According to librarian Amy Brownlee, “our vision was to transform our dated 1980s library into a 21st century learning commons to provide space for innovation and collaboration and to facilitate our mission of equipping students as lifelong learners who solve problems, achieve and grow.”

Grant funds were used to purchase tables and chairs on wheels to facilitate flexible seating arrangements. The project also included new carpet and paint as well as expanded wall shelving that eliminated three large freestanding bookcases and opened up the library space and showcased the library’s genre-based, fully browseable fiction collection.

The library received new carpet and paint after flooding in 2002 but otherwise had not been updated since being built in 1985.

The need for flexible furniture had been evident for years but was especially noticeable since the library began hosting monthly school board meetings a number of years ago. The large, heavy tables and chairs were not conducive to being rearranged, yet they were moved every month.  “A fixture update will enhance the space’s ability to host an increased number of events,” said principal Phil Bressler. “We foresee the space being used primarily by students, but also by adults in the form of meetings and planning sessions. The library reconfiguration and update will enable us to meet important needs.”

The update was an 18-month process beginning with planning the new library space and preparing the application.  After being notified of the grant award, vendors were contacted and orders were placed.  In May, all the books and furnishings were packed and moved out and renovations began. Books were moved back into the “new and improved” space in August just in time for the beginning of school.

“We were able to invite the community to an Open House event in September to coincide with the first school board meeting taking place in the newly updated space,” Brownlee said.

Sterling’s grant application was chosen on the basis of meeting the Libraries Transform grant program’s key objectives, which are to:

1) Increase awareness and support for transforming the local library.
2) Further the perception of the library as essential to the community.
3) Energize library advocates to influence local, state and national decision-makers. 

The project increased the library’s visibility and usefulness to the community and shared in these key messages:
1) Libraries transform lives.
2) Libraries transform communities.
3) Libraries are community centers for lifelong learning.
4) Libraries are a smart investment.

The updated library space has already been used dozens of times for such activities as: staff training and meetings; instruction, cooperative learning, and testing; “Apply Day” facilitated by the school counselor where seniors were walked through the college application process; student work on Individual Plans of Study; parent and club meetings; resume preparation and mock interviews, and much more.

The competitive grant application was written by librarian Amy Brownlee with support from library assistant Michelle Miller. “The Libraries Transform Grant was a catalyst to get administrator buy-in to spend capital outlay funds to update the library,” Brownlee said. “I first heard about the grant opportunity in 2019 and have been speaking with administrators since then, working on finding a year when they would prioritize a library update in their budget plans. Without the matching grant from SCKLS, I don't know when or if this project ever would have happened for us.  This grant was truly transformative for USD 376.”

Throughout her 25+ years with the district, Brownlee has secured more than 70 grants for USD 376 totaling over $90,000. “I appreciate the time and energy Mrs. Brownlee spends on getting funding to keep our library programs top notch,” said superintendent Jim Goracke.

One of the grant requirements is employing a certified librarian like Brownlee.  In a letter to the grant selection committee, Principal Bressler wrote: “Despite many of our peer school districts cutting these positions, we see the library and our professional staff as a key cog in the learning process.”
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This project is funded in part by the South Central Kansas Library System. SCKLS serves 144 participating public libraries, school districts, academic libraries and special libraries in 12 counties. The mission of the South Central Kansas Library System is to assist member libraries to provide excellent service to their communities.

Before & After Photos