Tualatin Library Wins ARPA Grant

The Tualatin Public Library has received a $13,500 federal American Rescue Plan Act grant to be used for a new project called Tualatin Bibliotequitas, serving Tualatin’s Spanish-speaking residents.

“This grant will help the library connect Latino residents with library resources and reading materials,” said Jerianne Thompson, director of the Tualatin Library. “We want to help people discover the joy of reading.” 

The federal funds will be used to improve access to books within Tualatin’s Latino community and increase Spanish-speaking residents’ connection to the library through small, in-the-community book collections called Bibliotequitas. Tualatin Library will distribute Spanish and bilingual popular titles for adults and children through these collections. Funds will also be used to support in-the-community Spanish-language programs. Nearly 20 percent of Tualatin’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.  

Tualatin Library received the grant in a very competitive process; less than a third of the total funding requested was approved. Grants were made possible thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, through the Library Services and Technology Act, and administered by the State Library of Oregon. The federal funds were included in the American Rescue Plan Act to help libraries, museums, and related nonprofits promote digital inclusion and connectivity, address needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and generally support efforts to provide equitable service to communities.

For more information about the federal library grants, please visit the Institute of Museum and Library Services website at imls.gov. More information about American Rescue Plan Act grants awarded by the State Library of Oregon is available at https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/lstagrants/arpa.