TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement with the Public Library Association to accept and expend grant funding in the amount of $3,500, for an internship program; and
Increase appropriations in the General Grants Fund Group in the Library Services Department by $3,500, offset by grant revenue. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Library Services Department (Library) grant application to the Public Library Association was approved. The Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library was one of 50 libraries across the country selected to participate in an Inclusive Internship Initiative (III), in the amount of $3,500 for a ten-week grant period ending in the fall 2019.
This program consists of a ten-week paid internship introducing teens from diverse backgrounds to careers in librarianship. The teen intern is responsible, along with a Library staff member functioning as a mentor, for developing a community-based project aligned with the Library’s goals and with principles of equity and diversity.
The selected teen will work with Library staff to develop a connected learning project. The project will center on community building by addressing the language gap. Since 54.4 percent of Long Beach’s population speak languages other than English, the Library wants to ensure patrons’ literacy and communal needs are fulfilled. The intern and the mentor will create a project that addresses this gap and establishes a dialogue about the difficulties of navigating public spaces and institutions derived from it. The goal of the project is to gather the community’s insight on how community libraries can facilitate non-native English speakers to fulfill their educational and communal needs. Library mentors and interns will engage with multiple facets of library life, from administration to programming to user services. Interns will have opportunities to connect with one another, and learn from mentors across the country.
As part of the mission to se...
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