Libraries Transforming Communities Grant

In May 2025, the Columbiana Public Library was awarded a $10,000 Libraries Transform Communities (LTC) Grant from the American Library Association. The LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grants were designed to aid small and rural libraries in increasing the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities.

With the funding, the library has been able to develop All Abilities Club – a new program series designed for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In our All Abilities Club, we explore new topics each month ranging from arts and crafts, mental health, exercise, cooking, and music. Two identical sessions are held each month, one in the morning and one in the evening, to accommodate caregivers’ schedules. For more information, please visit our webpage for All Abilities Club.

We have also introduced a new collection of items: Adult Sensory Kits! We currently have 5 themed sensory kits designed that aid in emotional regulation and sensory stimulation and exploration. These kits are available to check out for two weeks at a time.

The final project of the grant is the creation of a pop-up sensory room. While this project is still in progress, the library hopes to have it finished and available to the public in early 2026. The pop-up sensory room will feature unique pieces of equipment designed to create a calming environment where you can safely explore your senses. The room will be available once or twice a month and bookable by appointment.

As we continue to work through the grant and develop more programming and services for individuals with IDD, we encourage your feedback! Click the button below to be taken to our feedback form. You can also call or stop by the library and ask to speak with Katelyn or Kathy.

Feedback Form

Enjoy some pictures from some of our events this year:

a group of 5 women and two men pose for picture together
a group of three individuals making sensory bottles with glitter, beads, and water
a young man with a gray shirt on smiling and holding an orange sensory bottle
an image of a woman with a blue shirt on making an ice cream cone bird feeder
a group of people pose for a picture as they work on decorating mini bird houses
two ladies in blue shirts decorate wooden birds to make wind chimes
a young man in a gray shirt and a woman in a purple shirt color wooden birds to make windchimes
a wooden cut out of a bird colored red with wind chimes attached to it
two women in light blue shirts covering ice cream cones in peanut butter to make bird feeders
a bird wind chime where the wooden cutout of the bird is colored blue with a red head
a young man in a gray shirt and a woman in a purple shirt cover ice cream cones with peanut butter
a young man in a yellow shirt fills up a terracotta pot with soil
a man in a light blue shirt crushing oreo cookies with a rolling pin
a young man mixing up chocolate pudding to make dirt pudding
a young man in a gray shirt puts potting soil in a mini terracotta pot
a woman waters her newly planted sunflower seed with a spray bottle
a man in a light blue shirt and a woman in a black polka dot shirt assemble their dirt pudding cups
a young woman in a green tank top covers her pizza crust with blue, green, and purple cheese
a woman in a light yellow shirt and her caregiver in a gray tie-dye shirt making a pizza with different color cheeses
a young woman wearing a black tank top sprinkles pink cheese on her pizza crust
A group of people smile and work on coloring mozzarella cheese with food dye to make rainbow pizza
A group of individuals work on mixing food dye in their cheese
a woman in a light blue shirt sprinkles cheese on her pizza
a man sits at the front of a room drawing an image of a beach as he leads others in a painting class
a man in a red shirt shows off his painting masterpiece of a beach at sunset
a young man in a gray shirt poses with a smile as he shows his painting of a beach at sunset
a woman in a orange shirt and a man in a blue shirt pose for a photo as they work on a craft
a man in a gray shirt plays spoons on his knee
a woman in a wheelchair wearing a blue shirt watches as a man in a gray shirt puts her Shrinky Dinks in a toaster oven
a woman wearing a pink shirt poses with her pumpkin that she painted flowers on
a young man in a black shirt smiles and poses with his painting of a beach at sunset
a group of individuals work on coloring bags of mozzarella cheese with food dye
a group of individuals working on painting pumpkins
a man in a blue shirt works on covering an ice cream cone in peanut butter
two young ladies pose for a photo with the pumpkins they painted
a table covered in brown paper with small pumpkins sitting on top
A man in a black shirt walks around a group of people sitting at a table to help as they make dirt pudding
a woman in a light purple shirt colors a a picture
a painted pumpkin with the word Welcome on it and flowers
two ladies pose for a picture with their pumkins they painted to look like a vampire and Frankenstein's monster