GRANTS

2025 Grant Awards Support Student Library Card Program and Digital Access to Legal Information

At their June 2025 meeting, the Board of the Library Foundation of Washington County awarded grants in the amount of $5000 to Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) and $17,000 to the Washington County Law Library.

The grant to WCCLS will support the Student Library Card program through which WCCLS partners with local libraries and school districts to provide school-age students with a library card. The program expands access to students who may not have previously been connected to a public library. This is the second year the LFWC has supported this program aimed to encourage more children and families to use library resources both online and in-person. Getting kids into the building is an important step in creating lifelong readers. More information about the SLC can be found here: https://www.wccls.org/student

The Washington County Law Library grant was increased this year to support purchase of electronic subscriptions. Operational funding for Oregon law libraries comes from State Legislature appropriations and the budget situation is dire. The library will only be able to operate with reduced staffing and fewer open hours in the coming year. The LFWC wants to support online access to legal resources to mitigate the impact while the Washington County Law Library determines its future. The grant will support annual subscriptions to products such as HeinOnline, Lexis eBooks, and other legal reference eBook materials. Digital access to materials is available to the legal community and the general public. The products can be accessed here: https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/law-library/lexisnexis-digital-library. Or contact the Law Library for access information.

The Library Foundation of Washington County funds grants such as these from donations and fund-raising. Please help us continue to support these programs with your donation today! https://lfwcoregon.org/donation-options/

2024 Grant Awards Support Student Access to Books and Digital Access to Legal Information

At their May 2024 meeting, the Board of the Library Foundation of Washington County awarded grants in the amount of $9500 to Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) and $6500 to the Washington County Law Library.

The grant to WCCLS will support the Student Library Card program through which WCCLS partners with local libraries and school districts to provide school-age students with a library card. The program expands access to students who may not have previously been connected to a public library. Last fiscal year, WCCLS provided over 7,500 new SLCs through three school districts, Hillsboro, Beaverton, and Tigard-Tualatin; and we are onboarding a new partner with Sherwood Public Library and Sherwood School District this coming fiscal year. This program has been and continues to be successful, growing in numbers each year. LFWC Funds will be used to increase awareness through marketing and purchase of promotional materials for students. More information about the SLC can be found here: https://www.wccls.org/student.

The Washington County Law Library grant will fund the continuation of a LexisNexis Digital Library subscription for another year. The subscription provides digital access to a number of law library treatises through the same Overdrive platform used by the County public library system and is made available to the general public as well as attorneys. These materials would not otherwise be available outside of the Law Library. The subscription was previously funded by a Library Services and Technology Act grant through the State Library of Oregon. It has continued to be funded through grant awards. The database can be accessed here: https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/law-library/lexisnexis-digital-library