Building Better Libraries with The Idaho Commission for Libraries

Library Strategies is excited to share our newest partnership with you! The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL), the state agency that supports libraries in Idaho, recently awarded more than $3.25 million in facilities improvement grants to 15 public libraries. This special funding stems from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund. Building projects assisted through this grant run the gamut from much-needed parking lot and roofing improvements to brand new buildings! 

Where does Library Strategies come in?  

As part of overall program administration, ICfL wanted to make educational resources and professional coaching assistance available to library directors as they kickstart and manage their capital improvements. (As anyone who has been in that position before can attest: It’s never easy!)  

As means to that end, a team of four Library Strategies consultants will engage with this cohort of Idaho library leaders in three ways: offering eight instructional webinars devoted to the various phases of a construction project; providing grantees one-on-one assistance through ten months of online ”office hours”; and hosting an in-person workshop next March to share best practices and case studies.  

We are honored and excited to play a role in bringing more up-to-date, accessible, user-focused public libraries to the many communities touched by the project.  

Our partnership with ICfL adds to Library Strategies’ long list of large state– or system-wide projects – many of which we’ve highlighted for you in the past.

Have you been thinking about a way to support all the libraries in your region or state? Is there a topic you know would be beneficial to everyone? Library Strategies can plan, facilitate, distribute, and tailor content that meets YOUR needs and expectations — whether that project is a one-off or a large-scale, grant-driven project.