CHICAGO – State Senator Laura Fine secured a total of $118,000 in library and literacy grants for the Howard Area Community Center and Evanston Public Library.

“This funding invests in our youth and provides the community who utilize libraries and local community centers with necessary resources” said Fine (D-Glenview). “The services, tools, and expanded accessibility facilitated by these investments is critical to the success of our children, their families and our communities as a whole.”

The grants were awarded by Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias, who has awarded nearly $22 million for library services and $6 million for literacy programs throughout the state.

The goal of these grants is to enhance online catalogs, support day-to-day operations, expand interlibrary loan programs and equip vision-impaired individuals with narrations of newspaper content. The literacy grants are designed to promote basic reading, math, writing and English language skills.

A full list of grantees can be found here.