Gay-Kimball Receives $10,000 Accessibility Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2026

CONTACT:

Erin L George, Director

Gay-Kimball Library

TROY, NH — The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the fourth and final round of 300 recipients of its Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, which includes a $10,000 award to Gay-Kimball Library in Troy.

LTC is an ALA initiative to help small and rural libraries increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities. The 300 funded proposals represent 46 U.S. states and the Northern Mariana Islands. Of the selected libraries, 73 percent serve communities with populations of 5,000 or fewer. 126 of the libraries also received funding in previous rounds of the grant initiative, bringing the total number of LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grantees to 836. 16 libraries received funding in all four rounds of the initiative.

This grant will go a long way toward upgrades at Gay-Kimball Library that will help with accessibility for many patrons, according to Director Erin George. From expanding the large print and audio book sections to upgrading technology and offering new ways of getting materials to patrons with mobility challenges, the LTC grant will mean better access to library resources for all. “We are so excited to talk with our patrons about ways we can better serve them and help make the library easier to access,” George said.

Fifty libraries will receive grants of $20,000, and 250 libraries will receive grants of $10,000. In accordance with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions, eligibility was limited to communities with populations of less than 25,000 located at least five miles from an urbanized area.

Selected libraries have identified a primary audience they wish to serve (e.g., people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or intellectual disabilities). Library staff will conduct community input-gathering sessions with the identified primary audience to discuss accessibility in the community and library to collaboratively identify existing resources, needs/gaps and priorities. The libraries will then use the funds to create services or improve their facilities, services or program offerings based on the needs identified by their audience.

Previously funded LTC projects have included installing chair lifts and hearing loops, hosting arts and crafts programs for community members living with Alzheimer’s and memory loss, creating accessible outdoor spaces like community gardens and playgrounds and mental health programs for high school students.

Since 2014, ALA has distributed LTC funding to foster community engagement skills among library workers and support need-driven projects. LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).

“The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) sends our congratulations to all of the returning and first-time libraries awarded in this final round of LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities,” said ARSL Executive Director Kate Laughlin. “We are excited to have representation of small and rural libraries across all fifty states and the Northern Mariana Islands and look forward to seeing projects come to fruition!”

Libraries Transforming Communities is administered by the ALA Public Programs Office. The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.