The Sweet Home Public Library director reported the library received a grant from the American Library Association’s Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Library Communities program. The grant will fund a new accessible door for the library (staff said the door accounts for roughly half the grant) and the remaining funds will be allocated based on community input gathered through a vote form available at the library.

At the meeting the library director said the new door will include ADA-compliant push-button access at hip and foot height. The director also reported attending a national convening in Kansas City of about 50 librarians working on a research paper and toolkit to help libraries reduce substance use and provide harm reduction resources. The working paper’s five focus areas were described as harm reduction, bibliotherapy, outreach and marketing, libraries and social connections, and related practices.

The director said the working paper is in rough draft and expected to be published in the fall, and that Sweet Home applied for a related small grant with Corrales, Albany and Lebanon libraries to create a harm-reduction-style collection in each library. The library board is also continuing to discuss possible new locations and will hold a work session in July to consider options.

Councilors congratulated the library on the award and thanked the director for representing the community at the national event. The director said the conference attendance was fully funded and that community input will guide remaining grant expenditures.