Each year Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library (FFRPL) offer a grant opportunity for Rochester area libraries through the Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries.
This grant opportunity is open to all RRLC member libraries and library systems, all OWWL Library System libraries and all Monroe County Library System libraries.
Funding will be available for projects that meet the following areas:
- To further education and professional development for librarians and library staff throughout the five-county region served by Rochester Regional Library Council.
- To further innovative library projects and programs at RRLC member libraries and the Monroe County Library and OWWL Library Systems and their member libraries.
The Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries honors Harold Hacker, former director of the Monroe County Library System and founder of the Rochester Regional Library Council and OWWL Library System.
The Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library manages the Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries and provides additional supplemental funds each year to enhance the impact of these grants. The Rochester Regional Library Council is the Administrative Agent.
___________________________________________________________
2023 Harold Hacker Grant recipients
Mendon Public Library: Diverse Voices Book Discussion Kits – These kits will include 8 copies of a particular book plus discussion guides. The fiction and nonfiction books selected will present diverse voices, and will address inclusion, diversity, equity, and action. Antiracism, LGBTQIA, Immigration, and Poverty issues are among the topics that will be represented in these books.
Rochester Public Library: Cannabis Workforce Academy – A comprehensive curriculum to prepare legacy market members for jobs in legal dispensaries.
Rochester Public Library: Mobile Learning Lab Updates – Updates to laptops in the MCLS Mobile Learning Lab. These laptops are used by 6-12 libraries both town and RPL locations each year and focus on digital literacy, workforce development,
information, financial literacy, youth learning computer coding, and digital citizenship skills. The laptops are outdated and require replacement due to the increased demand of these labs.