CT State Library | Federal Library Funding in Connecticut

In 2024, DLD launched Towards Inclusive Accessibility in Libraries (TIAL): Expanding Possibilities for All Ages and Abilities. DLD is partnered with the CT Age Well Collaborative, a statewide, cross-sector initiative of Connecticut Community Care focused on fostering aging, dementia and disability-inclusive communities. They are delegated by the CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity, as a part of the state’s livable communities initiative in the Connecticut General Statutes. DLD are partnering with CT Age Well to co-create library staff training to support aging, disability, and dementia inclusivity.  Current workshops also include accessibility and the library and welcoming the deaf and hard of hearing community while a creative aging initiative planning is underway as are trainings on accessible documents and assistive technology.  

The Connecticut Library for Accessible Books (CTLAB) provides free reading materials to Connecticut residents who are blind or print disabled as a network library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) which provides access to the collection, equipment, operating procedures, and the network infrastructure. At the close of FY2024, CTLAB circulated 164,232 audio and braille books to over 5,000 active readers. Staff conducted 27 outreach sessions, reaching over 650 individuals. Nine CT public libraries now serve as hub libraries, helping to expand CTLAB’s impact.

The CT State Library Service to Veterans & Military Families seeks to provide libraries with resources to support the veterans and military members in their community with robust materials covering benefits, education, employment, finance, health, history, housing, legal, support, cultural competencies, print and digital books and more. The CT State Library served as a partner with the Libraries and Veterans National Forum to develop the Libraries and Veterans Toolkit that libraries and other organizations that serve military members and veterans in their community can use to get ideas for programming for this often forgotten segment of our communities.

This project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Connecticut State Library.