Library grant to serve people with disabilities

ROSEBURG, Ore. – Roseburg Public Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in round three of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to help small and rural libraries better serve people with disabilities. 

The competitive award from the American Library Association, in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, brings a $10,000 grant to help the library deliver services to adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. 

“Congratulations to Oakland Public Library and Friends of Myrtle Creek Library, which also were awarded this grant,” said Roseburg Public Library Director Kris Wiley. 

Roseburg library staff’s goals for their yearlong project include enhancing the library’s welcoming space for conversation and learning; providing programming opportunities; evaluating and updating the materials collection; and encouraging participants to develop lasting connections with the library and staff. 

“As part of the grant, I will take an online course in how to lead conversations -- a skill vital to library work today. I then will host conversations with adult patrons with disabilities about why they visit the library and how the library can serve them,” Wiley added. 

Wiley has scheduled community conversations to provide input on the grant-funded project at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 3, and 6 p.m. Thursday, June 19. Those interested in attending should contact her at kwiley@roseburgor.gov or 541-492- 7051. Caregivers are welcome. 

“I’ll bring pizza, and I ask patrons to bring their enthusiasm and ideas,” Wiley said. 

Wiley has already reached out to a handful of local nonprofit organizations that serve people with disabilities for additional conversations. If Wiley has not contacted your group, please reach out to her so she can schedule a meeting specifically for your clients. Following those discussions, Wiley will finalize the details for the project, which will launch in late summer and continue through April 2026. 

“My hope is it’s so successful these programs become a regular feature beyond the grant period,” Wiley said. 

The library will be closed Wednesday, April 23, so the entire staff can attend training at the Oregon Library Association Conference in Eugene. The book returns located in the parking lot and the library’s lobby will be locked that day. Please hang onto items until the library reopens Thursday, April 24. The library does not assess late fees.