LSTA Direct Grants to Libraries

Massachusetts uses LSTA funding to provide libraries with direct grants to meet the needs of their community. There were two LSTA direct grants awarded to libraries in the Sixth Congressional District in 2024 totaling $35,000.

Below are the direct grants funded projects in the Sixth Congressional District:

  • Dig In – Reading Public Library $20,000

    Existing environmentally focused groups and natural areas in Reading often remain disconnected, inaccessible, and underutilized by the community. To remedy this, Reading Public Library will create a welcoming and vibrant center for learning about nature, sustainability, and improving the environmental health of the town. Cultivating Community: Growing and Nurturing Sustainable Spaces will engage the community by establishing four sustainable and accessible green spaces, increasing educational programs, and expanding the nature and sustainability collection. This initiative addresses the expressed need of residents who seek to understand and improve both their own health and the health of the environment. It will serve various demographics, including children, teenagers, adults, families, neurodiverse individuals, and those with disabilities.

  • Mind in the Making – Wilmington Memorial Library $15,000

    According to the American Community Survey and Census.gov, 55% of Wilmington children under age 5 do not attend formal early education programs. The Playful Pathways: Nurturing Life Skills in Library Play Spaces will supplement or substitute for formal early education by providing research-based play spaces and programs at the Library. The project will create the only free and accessible space in Wilmington for children and families that promotes curiosity and social emotional learning, while incorporating the seven Mind in the Making Life Skills and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) curriculum frameworks. With the ability to practice developmental skills in an intentional, but accessible setting devoted to play, Playful Pathways will lower barriers created by unequal access to education and allow Wilmington children to succeed.

Preservation Assessments

  • Lynnfield Public Library - $6,000