If you are a volunteer or staff member attached to a school library, the national nonprofit We Need Diverse Books has a time-sensitive materials opportunity just for you. Books Save Lives is a grant program allocating up to $10,000 for a school media center to purchase diverse titles to augment existing collections.

Great Stories Club’s “raison d'être” is to give underserved youth the opportunity to read, reflect, and share ideas on topics that resonate with them. Courtesy of funding support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the popular program has reached more than 700 libraries – and more than 30,000 young adults – to date.

Friends of the Library are resilient, versatile, and endlessly creative. Sometimes, we don’t give ourselves enough credit! That’s one of the reasons that MALF proudly hosts the annual Evy Nordley Award for Best Project by Friends of the Library – the longest-running state-level prize of this kind.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant awards $2,500 to three libraries to support their programming efforts. Competitiveness is determined in large part by a candidate’s ability to demonstrate an acute financial need (and, as a result, a general track record of under-funded programming).

Have you heard of the "I Love My Librarian Award"? This annual, national honor is intended to honor “librarians who have made a difference in your life or gone above and beyond to serve your community.” Each year, up to 10 librarians will be honored with a $5,000 cash prize and special ceremony held in their honor.

In some circles, Friends of the Library is seen as a near-synonym for used book sale. While it is true that Friends offer the best book bargains around, our contributions to library work these days are much more diverse, creative, and crucial than the outdated stereotype suggests. In recognition and celebration of that fact, MALF proudly hosts an annual Stand Up for Standout Friends recognition program.

Public and school libraries play an important role in equalizing access – but in poor and underserved areas, a library’s collection budget will only stretch so far. If your library serves a high proportion of underprivileged youth, The Lisa Libraries wants to help!