Baltimore: Weinberg Foundation Increases School Library Project Funding & Announces Capital Grant to Enoch Pratt Free Library

From The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation:

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, today announces an additional $5 million in funding for up to 12 more public school library renovations as part of the Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project. Including the Foundation’s current $5 million commitment for 12 libraries by 2015, the Weinberg Foundation now has committed a total of $10 million for as many as 24 new public school libraries.
The announcement highlights the grand openings of the next two school libraries completely redesigned and renovated.
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Each new library is a well-designed, well-made, flexible and durable space that includes a vast array of new products and features. These include flexible book shelving, e-readers, computers, and other technological instructional devices, an “Enoch Pratt Parent Place” for parents/guardians, informal reading areas, and separate areas for study and research, instruction, and group discussion.
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Making today even more special, the Weinberg Foundation will announce a multi-million dollar, major new capital grant to Baltimore’s very own Enoch Pratt Free Library. We also celebrate Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s announcement of a new City literacy program that perfectly complements the focus and spirit of the Library Project.”
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The Weinberg Library Project now involves more than 30 partners across all sectors. Extending that public-private collaboration, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake today announced the Mayor’s Reading Club, a program intended to improve vocabulary and literacy skills of students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Baltimore City. “The Reading Club will get high-quality books into the homes of children and will provide parents with practical tools to help their children become early learners,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “It will be an important part of my Third Grade Reads initiative to help kids who have fallen behind in their reading proficiency to finally catch up—and thus do better in school and in life.”
The Reading Club program will initially focus on the four schools associated with the Mayor’s Third Grade Reads initiative as well as Weinberg Library Project schools.

Learn More About Today’s Announcement
Learn More About the School Library Funding Project

Filed under: Funding, Libraries, News, School Libraries