$398K Grant Awarded To Howard County Library System To Help Immigrants

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Howard County Library System will receive a $398,171 grant from the National Leadership Grants for Libraries, awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant will be used to develop and provide contextualized workplace English as a second language classes, job search skills and interview/job preparation training for skilled immigrants. Howard County Library System will work in partnership with the Howard County Office of Workforce Development and the Luminus Network for New Americans.

“We are thrilled that IMLS recognized this incredibly powerful, unique and impactful initiative with a National Leadership Grant. Teaching immigrants the skills they need to secure higher paying jobs in their chosen professions not only benefits them and their families but also our entire community. We all benefit when people are able to contribute at their highest potential,” HCLS President & CEO Tonya Aikens said.

The project will serve as a model for other libraries nationwide on how they can strengthen their role and be responsive to the shifting needs of new Americans by identifying classes, staff competencies, services and partnerships to overcome key barriers to the integration of immigrants into the workforce.

The fiscal year 2022 National Leadership Grants for Libraries program received 139 preliminary proposals, and of these, 39 projects were awarded a total of $11,470,266.