Libros Y Mas: Carver County has a growing Latinx population. Eastern Carver County School system’s dual immersion Spanish language program covers kindergarten to 12^th grade. This grant will help build the youth Spanish language collection in print and digital format to support native Spanish speakers and those wishing to learn Spanish as another language.  There will be programs and storytimes reflective and inclusive of this growing community funded by this grant.

Adult Language Learning: The library acquires material on learning English, continuing education, citizenship, and other materials to support community members. Materials are in process of being purchased in Spanish and English. Outreach materials were also developed.

Device Charging Stations: Stations to charge a variety of devices, including Android, Windows, or iOS phones and laptops, are available at Chanhassen, Chaska, Law, and Victoria Library locations.

Digital Conversion Lab: A carryover project from 2022. This will allow conversion of analog media to digital. This project is in progress.

Games and Gatherings: Intergenerational programming around tabletop games to create community was created.

Health Literacy: Promoted health and wellness in the communities served by Carver County Libraries. Items have been purchased in English and Spanish in both print and eResources and are added to the collection plus there was some related programs.

Mobile WiFi Hotspots: Brought in additional hotspots to check out, as they were typically all checked out and had waiting lists.

Seed Library at all Carver County Libraries: Year two of the seed library expanded the program to address food literacy, food insecurity, building community added availability to all locations and added pollinator friendly flowers to the mix. Seed Libraries offer free, open-pollinated heirloom seeds and resources for planting, growing, harvesting, and seed saving. The seeds for this year have been given out.

STEM Programs and Collections for Youth: Added youth STEM (Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering) materials to the collection along with funds for programs.

Training and Resources for Diverse Storytimes: Provided funds for training staff that present storytimes that created an inclusive and welcoming environment for all children and provided funds for the collection and diverse performers.

Digital Conversion Lab: This will allow conversion of analog media to digital. This project was extended into the next year.

Mobile WiFi Hotspots: Brought in additional hotspots to check out, as they were typically all checked out and had waiting lists. The program began with a federally funded grant.

Next Chapter Book Club: Created a book club for adults with disabilities based at Watertown Library working with the Next Chapter Book Club.

Seed Library at Chaska: This was year one of the seed library, piloted at the Chaska Library. It helps address food literacy, food insecurity, and also builds community. The Chaska Seed Library offered free, open-pollinated heirloom seeds and resources for planting, growing, harvesting, and seed saving.

STEM Kits: This grant provided for additional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Kits aimed at elementary school kids. It enhanced the kits we already had and added additional ones as they were typically always checked out and had waiting lists. The list of kits can be found (and holds placed) in our catalog.