The Ishpeming Carnegie Library is pictured. (Courtesy photo)

ISHPEMING — The Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library has announced that it is a recipient of a $500 In-kind Book Donation Grant to rural and small libraries from Penguin Random House and United for Libraries alongside 50 other recipients throughout the country.

The ICPL was the only Michigan library to be selected for this grant. Grants are administered by United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, whose mission is to support those who govern, promote, advocate and fundraise for all types of libraries. Grant funding is provided by Penguin Random House.

The ICPL would also like to extend its thanks to the Association of Friends of the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library for making this possible, as this grant initiative specifically focused on assisting Friends of the Library groups with priority projects. Additionally, the Friends of the Library group pledged an additional $500 of proceeds from its April book sale to be used in combination with the grant money received.

Over the last two years, the ICPL has experienced a significant increase in circulation of library materials. In 2022 and 2023, the library circulated over 70,000 items compared to just under 60,000 items in 2021. These numbers are record-setting and are the highest ever recorded for the ICPL. In order to ensure that it is providing the best materials to its community, the library aims to update sections of its nonfiction collection that have become outdated. With the $1,000 in funding that was received from this grant and the Friends of the Library group, the ICPL was able to update its history and culture of North America nonfiction sections, with a specific focus on updating books about Native American history and culture. A total of 32

new books were added for adults and 21 were added for children and teens.

Some of the titles include:

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal

History of North America Map by Map by DK Publishing

Asian American Histories of the United States Catherine Ceniza Choy

Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West by Lauren Redniss

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History,

from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon

The Longest Trail: Writings on American Indian History, Culture, and Politics by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.

An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States by Kyle Mays

Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur

America, America: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin

We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power by Caleb Gayle

American Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa