Jackson-Madison County Library receives technology grant
Secretary of State of Tennessee Tre Hargett presented the fifth-largest technology grant in the state to the Jackson-Madison County Library totaling $15,735.
“Now more than ever technology is important in all facets of our lives and libraries are a critical part of our community,” Hargett said. “Not everybody has WiFi at home, not everybody has internet services, so they’re able to come in and check out these devices and I think as more people utilize these, you’ll see more and more people try to get internet in their homes.”
The Training Opportunities for the Public (TOP) grant, from which the funding derives, “is available for public libraries to create or improve training programs for the express purpose of providing free public training on the uses of broadband, including computer skills,” according to the Tennessee Grants Office.
There is a $350,000 technology grant budget that gets spread across the state, and according to Hargett, there are more applications than there are funds to allocate. This year, funds had to be increased from the previous year by 10% to allow all applicants to receive something.
The TOP grant has a lower matching percentage, and every year the grant is offered, the library applies if there’s a need.
Library Director Dinah Harris expressed the importance of the grant as the library is now able to add 11 additional portable WiFi devices that the public is able to check out and bring the internet into their homes. The library currently has 7 WiFi devices in circulation and there is a waiting list to check one out.
“It makes a huge difference because there is no way we could add 11 more WiFi devices to our collection without some help,” Harris noted.
TOP grants were also allocated to public libraries in the following counties: Benton, Carroll, Dyer, Gibson, Obion, and Weakley. Senator Ed Jackson was also in attendance to present the check.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Jackson-Madison County Library receives fifth largest technology grant in the state
