Maryland: “Baltimore Using $11.7 Million in Federal Money to Upgrade Libraries, Mayor Brandon Scott Says”
From The Baltimore Sun:
The City of Baltimore is diverting $11.7 million in federal coronavirus pandemic relief funding to library infrastructure as part of Mayor Brandon Scott’s broader push to expand free internet access across the city.
The money, part of a $35 million chunk of American Rescue Plan Act funds set aside in November 2021 for investment in broadband and digital equity, will pay for renovations, staff, HVAC systems and part of construction costs of a new library branch in Park Heights.
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The library system will use $4.4 million of the funding to hire new digital navigators to provide one-on-one training and technical support, renovate desktop computer areas, and add workspaces outside but in range of the library’s free internet access.
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The city will apply $4.25 million of the funds toward repairing and replacing HVAC systems, and $3 million will go toward the construction of a new $17 million, 16,000-square-foot branch in Park Heights in Northwest Baltimore, a project close to home for Scott.
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
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