The biblioteca municipal e infantil mariana suárez DE longo in puerto rico will establish a mobile library to deliver books, technology, and educational programs to underserved communities in ponce,…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Municipio De Ponce $599,998 on September 1, 2026, through the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to establish a mobile library serving underserved communities in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The Biblioteca Municipal E Infantil Mariana Suarez de Longo will acquire and customize a mobile library vehicle equipped with technology and connectivity infrastructure to deliver books, digital literacy training, tutoring, sensory learning activities for children with disabilities, and community workshops across Ponce. Programming will include sensory literacy and inclusive learning activities for students with disabilities; digital literacy workshops for older adults; tutoring and reading programs for youth; and community educational outreach events and technology demonstrations. The project will produce a mobile library implementation toolkit and operational framework documenting inclusive outreach strategies and service design practices.

The award obligates $599,998 for the period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. Place of performance is Ponce, Puerto Rico. Funding will support acquisition and customization of the mobile vehicle, technology equipment and connectivity infrastructure, portable educational materials, outreach supplies, evaluation activities, and dissemination of project results.

The National Leadership Grants program supports projects addressing critical needs in the museum and library fields with potential to generate models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and leverage the benefits of federal investment.

The biblioteca municipal e infantil mariana suárez DE longo in puerto rico will establish a mobile library to deliver books, technology, and educational programs to underserved communities in ponce, puerto rico. The mobile unit will provide digital literacy training, tutoring for students, sensory learning activities for children with disabilities, and community workshops for residents of all ages. The project will support the acquisition and customization of a mobile library vehicle, technology equipment and connectivity infrastructure, portable educational materials, outreach supplies, evaluation activities, and dissemination of project results. The project will produce a mobile library implementation toolkit and operational framework documenting inclusive outreach strategies and service design practices. The programming will focus on sensory literacy and inclusive learning activities for students with disabilities; digital literacy workshops for older adults; tutoring and reading programs for youth; community educational outreach events and technology demonstrations.