SANFORD - The Central Carolina Community College Library has been awarded two grants totaling $44,985 from the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant program.

The Library received two of the 56 competitive grants for fiscal year 2014-2015 awarded to North Carolina libraries from this year's federal allotment of $4,173,865. The program, administered by the State Library of North Carolina, funds library projects across the state that advance literacy and lifelong learning, expand access to library resources and expertise, promote partnerships and collaboration, and digitize materials important to the cultural heritage of North Carolina.

An $18,760 Literacy and Lifelong Learning Grant will fund the conversion of library study rooms into technology-enhanced collaborative study rooms. All study rooms have large dry-erase white boards for group collaboration, but the library currently has only one technology-enhanced room, which is heavily used.

Each study room will be equipped with a 40" touch screen computer with Microsoft Office software, Internet connectivity for online research, multimedia viewing capabilities, and a high-definition webcam. Students will be able to work together on group projects, create and record presentations for class assignments, and conduct web conferencing for collaboration between campuses.

"Today's community college students need library spaces that allow them to work together in a group setting so they can complete their class assignments," said Tara Guthrie, CCCC director of Library Services. "This grant fills our students' needs and facilitates information literacy, as well as digital literacy skills, which better prepares students for the workforce. Our goal is to have all study rooms equipped with the touch screen computers by the spring 2015 semester."

A $26,225 Planning Grant will pay a consultant to evaluate the college's library facilities space at the Sanford and Lillington campuses. The Sanford campus library opened in 1970, and the Lillington campus library opened in 1991.

"With rapidly changing technologies and library services, as well as college growth over the years, library facilities are cramped and expansion for future library services is limited," Guthrie said.

Some of the existing library space issues include: insufficient space for library instruction sessions to accommodate all class sizes; no space for additional computer workstations; the need for more quiet study areas away from high-traffic areas and related noise issues; and space to expand library services as the college grows.

The consultant will determine how the libraries can better utilize existing space and will suggest plans for future library facilities needs. Students, faculty, and staff will be asked to participate in focus groups and surveys to assess what each group needs in a library of the future and to incorporate their input in the planning process.

LSTA funds awarded by the State Library of North Carolina are made possible through funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the LSTA as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. These federal funds are investments that help libraries deliver relevant and up-to-date services for their communities.

The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. Through the LSTA Grants to States program, IMLS provides funds to State Library agencies using a population-based formula. State libraries may use the appropriation to support statewide initiatives and services; they may also distribute the funds through competitive sub grants to public, academic, school, special, and research libraries. To learn more about the Institute, visit www.imls.gov.

For more information about North Carolina's LSTA program visit the State Library of North Carolina's LSTA web page at http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/grants/lsta.html or contact the State Library's Federal Programs Consultant at 919-807-7423.

For more information about the CCCC Library's resources and services, visit www.cccc.edu/library.