The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that the Bladen County school system has been awarded a grant through the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries for $495,381. Bladen County was one of 57 districts across the nation to win the LSL grant.

According to David Jordan, curriculum director, “This LSL grant will make a huge impact in our schools by helping us to address student reading skills and academic achievement.”

The project entitled BOOK, (Bladen Offering Opportunities for Knowledge), will serve 2,374 students at all seven primary schools: Bladenboro Primary, Bladen Lakes Primary, Booker T. Washington, Dublin Primary, East Arcadia, Elizabethtown Primary and Plain View Primary.

Through BOOK’s objectives and activities, schools will seek to improve reading skills and academic achievement by addressing two goals: Increase the availability of, the access to, and the use of up-to-date school library books and media resources; and enhance instructional opportunities designed to have a positive impact on learning.

The core of the LSL/BOOK project will be to enhance and update the library resources within

each primary school by aligning all media materials with both current district and state standards. Upon assessment it was revealed that the book collections at all primary schools are seriously outdated. The average age of the collections across the schools is 18 years old with many books more than 20 years old.

Money from this grant will allow the media specialist at these schools to purchase new, current book collections with up-to-date, accurate information.

Additional needs identified are the lack of adequate access to computers and other advanced technology. These funds will provide the media centers with high-speed desktops and laptops with Internet connections, printers, Interactive Whiteboards, LCD projectors, audiovisual equipment, document cameras, projection screens, and software to facilitate both reading and information technology skills.

The money from this grant will increase the total book collection within the district by 9,100 books. That is about 1,300 new books at each primary school.

Dr. David Dinkins, superintendent of Bladen County schools states that, “The culmination of these strategies will align our library resources with district and state curricula to foster a comprehensive literacy effort to improve our students’ reading skills and academic achievement. With the help of the district, Dr. Jordan, and the media specialists at each primary school, Bladen will offer opportunities for knowledge to help our students build a strong foundation in literacy and thrive in their academic endeavors.”

Aside from the resource enhancements, each primary school media center will be made available during non-school hours to increase access for students and parents. These additional hours can accommodate special literacy programs such as author visits, family reading events, and reading academies. This expanded access will represent a combination of after school, weekend, vacation, and summer hours.

Each primary school will average an additional nine hours per week of access during the year.