FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 23, 2024
Press Contact: Erin Del Signore
Charles County Public Library
301.807.4539
edelsignore@ccplonline.org
CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES ALA’s BUILDING LIBRARY CAPACITY GRANT
(La Plata, MD) Charles County Public Library (CCPL) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association’s Building Library Capacity Grant, among 15 other recipients. The Building Library Capacity Grant will help support library operations at the Charles County Detention Center (CCDC) Library that CCPL launched in April 2023.
Each year, ALA focuses on helping add capacity to different libraries, especially those serving marginalized or underrepresented community segments. Libraries serving incarcerated persons or libraries assisting those reentering society were designated for the grants in 2024. The ALA Building Library Capacity Grants are supported through a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
CCPL will use these grant funds to expand the collection of books available at the CCDC library, including adding titles for often requested areas such as construction and starting a small business. It will also expand programming, increasing skill-building workshops and book discussions, and the Storybook Program, where incarcerated parents read aloud and record a children’s book for their children to have at home while they are away.
“The Detention Center Library location was established to offer access to services and resources that enrich the lives of incarcerated persons, and this grant will allow us to continue our mission of creating opportunities to engage, discover and learn for all Charles County community members,” KennethWayne Thompson, Executive Director of Charles County Public Library shared about the project.
Sheriff Troy D. Berry added, “We are thrilled the Charles County Public Library was able to secure this grant, which will enable us to continue providing essential resources that encourage personal growth and development among our incarcerated individuals.”
Ryan Ross, Director of the Charles County Detention Center also stated, “At the Charles County Detention Center, we constantly strive to empower our incarcerated population by offering access to valuable programs and materials. The library plays a crucial role in this effort, offering opportunities for learning and skill enhancement that are essential for successful reintegration into society.”
Sgt. John Arcadipane, project lead, summed up the Detention Center’s excitement, “The response to the opening of the library within the Detention Center has been better than I ever expected. The various workshops provided and materials have been instrumental in helping individuals who are incarcerated in Charles County. We look forward to the additional funds to help support the programs and materials that are in place.”
A full list of the grantees can be found at https://tinyurl.com/blcgrantees2024.
About Charles County Public Library
The Charles County Public Library creates opportunities for our community to engage, discover, and learn. CCPL consists of four library branches, a Mobile Library, Discovery Lab, a 24-Hour Library Kiosk at the Nanjemoy Community Center, and a location inside the Charles County Detention Center. CCPL has over 100 full- and part-time employees. Our branches house over 200,000 volumes of printed material, audiobooks, film, and other documents, and we have an online branch at www.ccplonline.org, where we add new resources regularly. Currently, there are over 75,000 county residents who have library cards, and that number grows every day.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 145 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
About Charles County Sheriff’s Office
The Commission on Accreditation accredited the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 2001 and has since earned the highest rating of Excellence. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals providing tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3 Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click this link: www.p3intel.com.