Successful grant applications

Jacob uses a Daisy reader (from Vision Australia Website)

We were pleased to be awarded 2 important grants in the last couple of weeks.

In partnership with Vision Australia Information Library Service, Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation, Goldfields Library Corporation, and Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library, Yarra Plenty was awarded $73,100 for a Service Enhancement through Partnership project.

The Service Enhancement through Partnership project will deliver digital information to Victorians who are blind, have low vision or have a print disability through public libraries. It will also provide people with print disabilities greater access to reading materials by using DAISY devices and hopefully to encourage and facilitate people joining existing public library book clubs.

I mentioned DAISY books in one of my earlier blogs, they are digital books loaded onto special playback devices that provide easier access than ordinary CD talking books and also have some smart features, like remembering where you stopped listening to a book, even if you've listened to others subsequently. The long term goal of Vision Australia is to distribute the devices to everyone who is eligible. If you know anyone who has a print disability, please contact Marie McMahon for more details.

The other grant we were pleased to recieve is from the Victorian State Government is for $69,000 towards a new prime mover for the Mobile Library through the Living Libraries Project. The new mobile library is just over 2 years old now, and provides a much valued service especially for outlying communities. This grant will allow us to upgrade the prime mover which is now due for replacement.