ALA Offers Grant Writing 101

Are you taking full advantage of available grant programs? If not, you could be missing out on the $12.5 million in federal funds available via the "Literacy Through School Libraries" legislation, consponsored by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and passed by Congress as part of the "No Child Left Behind" reauthorization late last year. One-year grants are available to school districts in which 20 percent of the students are from families with incomes below the poverty line.

If you're going to the American Library Association's upcoming annual conference in Atlanta, GA, June 13–19, you'll want to attend a seminar by the Department of Education's Maggie McNeely and Beth Fine. McNeely, team leader for Literacy in School Libraries at the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Fine, an assistant team leader, will discuss the requirements of the grant program and give helpful hints on filling out forms and federal grant proposals. The meeting will take place Saturday, June 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room A 313 of the Georgia World Congress Center. This free event is open to all registered conference attendees. Grant information will soon be available online at www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/LSL.