Larson Announces COVID Relief Funding for Southington Public Library

Hartford, CT – Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) announced that Southington Public Library was awarded a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association through the American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, a program funded by the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH). This funding will allow the Southington Public Library to make their digital collections more accessible and offer new educational opportunities for the community. 

“Libraries across the First District are expanding both their in-person and virtual programs with support from the American Rescue Plan, which I was proud to help author and support,” said Larson. “The Southington Public Library will use this grant to expand their digital archives and online offerings. I applaud the work of the library staff, led by Director Kristi Sadowski, to broaden their collections and create new resources for the community.” 

 “This is an amazing opportunity for our community,” said Library Director Kristi Sadowski. “Digitization of these records will provide a great resource for future study of Southington’s history and provide universal access to documents that are slowly degrading with time.” 

With this grant, the library plans to digitize copies of school yearbooks dating back 70 years and create researchable records available to the community online at any hour of the day. They will also launch a six-month series of programming for residents focused on genealogy. 

Rep. Larson fought to make sure libraries received the support they needed to safely continue community programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been a long-standing supporter of federal funding for cultural enrichment through the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

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