Reading Public Library (RPL) has received a $9,600 grant from PA Humanities as part of its $1.4 million recovery and growth program. Called PA SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan), the initiative provides flexible funding to strengthen and grow humanities across the state.
This grant will be directed to RPL’s programs creating a pipeline for new library staff from within the community through artists’ residency programs and library-directed community engagement internships. These initiatives will support the library’s goal of ensuring that the staff reflects the community, thus increasing the role it can play in addressing needs surrounding literacy rates, digital access, and economic segregation.
The humanities are on the ground putting people first by making spaces for new voices, supporting meaningful learning experiences, and fostering healing and resiliency in communities of all sizes,” said Laurie Zierer, executive director of PA Humanities. The 92 recipients, representing museums, libraries, historical societies and other vital cultural institutions across Pennsylvania, were carefully selected with an emphasis on equity and geographic diversity.
Funding for PA SHARP comes from the PA Humanities’ federal partner, the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
For additional details, contact Linda Capozello at 610.478.8977 or [email protected]
