VAN WERT – Van Wert City Schools Library was recently awarded a
$3,000 CARES Act Mini-Grant to help its student libraries prevent,
prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this
grant is to help libraries across the state by purchasing items and
materials including, but not limited to curbside service signage,
furniture to support social distancing, remote learning platforms, and
storage bins for safe material handling.
Nellie Schmidt, VWCS
Media Specialist, is planning to use the funds to purchase e-books and
audiobooks for students in the elementary, middle, and high schools to
encourage reading even when a physical book may not be available to
check out.
“I’m excited to build our digital collection which
will allow us to service both remote and in-person learners," said
Schmidt. "Students can access these books anywhere, anytime, even in the
summer.”
Accounts have been created for students through apps
provided by the schools. Elementary school students use a service called
MackinVIA, while high school and middle school students use Sora. Along
with the ability to check out digital books from VWCS, high school and
middle school accounts are directly linked to the Ohio Digital Library
through the Brumback Library when using the Sora app. This allows
students to access e-books and audiobooks that are filtered specifically
for teens and young adults.
E-books and audiobooks are currently available for students to check out.