For the 14th consecutive year, the library has received a Project Next Generation (PNG) grant from the Illinois State Library. PNG is a state and federally funded program with the goal of providing low-income middle-school access to new technologies and the opportunity to develop technological skills in a safe and friendly environment. The $12,500 grant will be used to provide equipment and hire a team of four mentors to work with students at the Douglass Branch throughout 2013-14. This past year, participants engaged in digital storytelling, T-shirt design, stop-motion animation, a photography contest, and field trips to the Illini Tech Center and Weiskamp Screen Printing.
