Welcome!
Greetings! And welcome to the new Viking Library System librarians’ blog. All public library directors and staff members throughout the six-county region are invited to contribute to the blog, so as a regular reader you will see postings from many different folks on a variety of topics.
One of the current conversations that is being held by librarians throughout the state concerns the new Legacy funding that has come to public libraries through their regional systems. These funds were generated by the change to the Minnesota State Constitution approved by voters last fall. The funds are for clean water, outdoor heritage, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage.
Regional Public Library Systems received $425,000 statewide to provide arts and cultural heritage programming and historical legacy projects throughout the state. Viking Library System is forming a committee of Governing Board members, library directors and representatives of the arts communities from each of the six counties to develop a method of applying for and distributing the funds.
Ten percent of the $109,000 that VLS will receive annually will go to a statewide project extending the Greatest Generation exhibit currently open at the Minnesota History Center to the rest of the state. Fifty percent of the funds will provide programming designed by Viking Library System and presented to citizens throughout the region and the remainng forty percent will be available for communities within the region to apply for grants to carry out local projects.
Watch this blog for more information as we get the program up and started….
Viking Library System is also getting close to completing work on a new headquarters building located in Fergus Falls. We’ve added a colored block to our homepage entitled Building Project which will give you updated details.
–Peg Werner, Director, Viking Library System
