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=Welcome to the Library REACH Wiki! =

This wiki was created to showcase the 2011-2012 Library REACH grant winners. Each winner has a page that contains information about the school and how the grant impacted students at the school.

For New York City's public school students, libraries can be the driving force behind reading, learning, and creating a brighter future. They are oftentimes the only place in which a student can explore her interests outside the classroom, go online to research college choices, or do her homework in a quiet, safe space. Literacy is essential to paving a path for success for our students, and there is no better investment that New Yorkers can make than supporting the improvement of school libraries.
 * Library REACH Grant Program **

For this purpose, The Fund has run the Library REACH (Revitalizing Education for Adolescents and Children) grant program since 2004. Through a competitive application process, The Fund uses private sector contributions to award grants to schools to transform their libraries. Library REACH is based on the idea that a small amount of money -- when strategically placed in the hands of an enthusiastic librarian and a principal with vision -- can transform a public school library into a center of literacy and learning for the entire school community. To date, more than 200 schools have received these grants, impacting over 190,000 students across New York City.

Library REACH grants empower school librarians to purchase a range of resources to meet the unique needs and interests of their students and school community. These resources may include foreign language collections for immigrant children who are learning to speak English, or college and career books for students exploring post-graduation opportunities. Some librarians invest in computers so that their students can access critical research tools and hone their digital literacy skills. Others have purchased nonfiction collections to replace books that are decades out of date, multi-media tools like audio books and page turning devices to support students with special needs, and rugs, couches, and lamps to create a cozy reading nook for independent reading.

Library REACH grants are notable for their contribution to physical upgrades to school libraries, but they also contribute meaningfully to the culture of the school. A successful school library can function as a hub of exploration and learning that the entire school community can use and enjoy. For example, a vibrant library filled with up-to-date informational resources can be a valuable tool for a teacher, and can often foster a collaborative relationship between teachers and the librarian that had not existed before. Furthermore, a Library REACH grant can enable librarians to expand their parent book collections so that they can provide helpful resources to families about how to read with their children and practice literacy skills at home.

Library REACH applications are available in the fall. For more information about this program, please email info@fundforpublicschools.org or call 212-374-2874.