North Country Library System to use grant funding for technology upgrade

WATERTOWN — The North Country Library System will use a grant of more than $17,700 to upgrade information-technology (IT) support for its 65 member libraries. 

The upgrade means the system will be “saving money and improving service to patrons,” the Northern New York Community Foundation said in announcing the grant funding.

The foundation’s board of directors approved a $17,763 grant during its recent quarterly meeting that will enable the library system to transition information-technology support to a more economical, robust digital-service model. 

The grant was made possible by the Herring College Fund of the Community Foundation.

The library system supports 65 member libraries in Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, and Oswego counties — 54 of which are in the tri-county area that the Community Foundation serves. Grant funding will help the library system purchase management software and technology needed to support a digital-information technology service model. 

It also means the library system will continue to support education and resource needs for residents in communities it serves without disruption.

The move is one of several steps the library system is taking to “maximize efficiencies” in how it serves its member libraries and patrons. The shift to digital-technology support will allow libraries to deliver services and programs more effectively in each community as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact library-system operations.

“Keeping our systems in good working order will allow our libraries to assist patrons with research requests, genealogy searches, and connecting with our ever-expanding electronic collections,” Susan Mitchell, executive director of the North Country Library System, said in a statement. “They will also have the resources they need to support tutoring and programs for school-aged children as well as seniors.”