Dagwood Public Library

5432 Sycamore Lane

Dagwood, Illinois 65555
October 9, 2014
Capitol District Improvement Foundation
201 West Main Street
Capitol, Illinois 61801
Dear Capitol District Improvement Foundation Grant Committee,

I am writing on behalf of the Dagwood Public Library to seek funds for a

program that we hope will assist the high school students in our community
to achieve more academically and to better realize their overall potential. As
of today, only 70% of students within the local school district meet or exceed
grade-level standards of reading and only 79% make it to graduation day.
These unsettling statistics speak to a pressing and imminent need for all of
Dagwoods major educational players to work seamlessly together. It is the
hope of the Dagwood Public Library that we may update our educational
offerings thereby enhancing the educational outcomes of the children of
Dagwood through the types of programs that have proven to work in other
areas.
The mission of Dagwood Public Library (DPL) and that of the Capitol District
Improvement Foundation are identical. Community improvement is a major
priority. The teens of Dagwood, Illinois are major players in the success and
well-being of our community, though DPL is aware that due to pre-existing
collections and layouts, we fall short of being able to offer our teens a space
that supports them well enough. We at DPL need to be able to reach our
teens more, affect them more deeply, offer them more, do more to aid their
development, their education, their creativity, and to cultivate their informed
citizenship and pride in our town. The teens of Dagwood Public Library, and
therefore, the greater community, would benefit greatly from the Capitol
District Improvement Foundations Community Grant.
Currently, the layout of Dagwood Public Library is outdated. Whereas the
childrens area of DPL has a surplus of open space for collections, a service
area, seating for 30 people, a programming room which accommodates
groups up to 25 along with a wet sink, a large storage closet, and a large
office/work area, our teen section is only large enough to house its collection
and two armchairs. Since the teen space is not able to hold our teen
programming, we must share the general purpose room with the rest of the
library and the community, which limits the programming that we are able to
offer due to scheduling issues. Finally, though the high school in our town
works diligently to support our mutual goals, much of the teen collection
there is outdated with an average copyright date of 1994. For that reason,
DPL would like to be sure to offer the most contemporary YA fiction titles as
well as updated informational texts and non-fiction to them, though
unfortunately we are running out of space even for collection.

With the Capitol District Improvement Foundation Grant, Dagwood Public

Library would repurpose the surplus of space in the childrens area. By
simply rearranging the childrens area, we would be able to put up shelving
that would create separate spaces for both age groups. We would be able to
accommodate three booths with tables for collaborative work spaces and a
relaxing reading space with six comfortable chaise lounges. We would also
be able to afford two televisions and two gaming systems with ten games.
There would still be enough space to have a media area where students can
come and complete school projects using four in-house video and two inhouse still cameras. With the generous help of the Capitol District
Improvement Foundation Grant, there would still be enough to provide 110
additional current and contemporary YA mass market paperbacks. All of this
would be advertised on six banners that would announce the grand opening
of the teen-only space and direct teens to it, letting them know that they are
valued and supported by our community and that their academic abilities,
needs and accomplishments are important.
Expenses:

Supplies & Furnishings

o 6 IKEA chaise lounges
$2100
o 3 Booths, double, w/table
$3000
o 5 Shelving, for display & division
$3500
o 6 Print advertisement banners
$240
Equipment
o 6 Laptops (PC)
$3000
o 2 Digital still cameras
$120
o 4 Digital video cameras
$400
o 2 Gaming consoles
$600
o 2 TVs (for gaming)
$420
Materials
o 110 contemporary YA mass market paperbacks
$935
o 10 Video games
$500__
$14,815

We at Dagwood Public Library hope that through this targeted course of

treatment, the young adults within the community will begin to see college
as a viable option for themselves. We hope, through this program, to make
available the countless resources for attaining a college degree that these
children are not exposed to in their home lives and, by making them aware
of these alternative routes, funding options, and other tools to achieve a
college education, they may attain greater academic and financial heights
and, as a result, better the community at large.
Before concluding, I would like to thank the Capitol District Improvement
Foundation for its time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Diane Miller-DeSoto

Head of Teen Services

Dagwood Public Library