DLF recently awarded $177,883.00 in Grants to the following deserving projects at Durham County Library for 2025-2026:
A New Dimension of Making
Durham County Library offers 3D printing services which are one of the most utilized services in the Maker + STEAM department. 3D printing supports the community in information literacy with emerging and expanding technologies, developing transferable skills for workforce development, and offering avenues for collaboration, problem-solving and creativity. Grants funds will help improve and expand the 3D printing services at Durham County Library.
Adult Study Hall
Adult Study Hall provides space and times for users to co-work, take care of personal business, and do other tasks in a supportive environment led by an executive coach. Sessions will begin in October 2025 and continue through June 2026, with a special larger presentation on executive function topics each quarter.
Digging Durham Seed Library
One of the longest-funded programs by DLF, Digging Durham Seed Library increases local sustainable food sources, enhances food security, develops local biodiversity, increases patron visits, and promotes greater use of library materials. The Seed Library also supports programming related to gardening and creating biodiversity by offering supplies and information to the community, and outreach within our existing community partners like the Durham County Extension Office, Master Gardeners, Duke Gardens, Durham Bee City, Keep Durham Beautiful, and DINE.
Entrepreneurship Exploration Summit
In response to the community's request for diverse programming, Wall Street Juniors, in collaboration with the Durham County Main Library, is excited to present the Entrepreneurship Exploration Program. This initiative is designed to empower youth, ages 11 and up, with essential entrepreneurial skills, promote community development, and enhance financial literacy. Through interactive workshops, hands-on sessions, and networking opportunities, youth will leave inspired and equipped with the knowledge to begin their entrepreneurial journeys, fostering economic growth and community engagement through innovation.
Expanding Language Access
This grant will help expand language access for programming at the Durham County Library by allocating funds to offer both Spanish live interpretation and ASL interpretation services that will make the Durham County Library more accessible and inclusive for the immigrant and Deaf community the Library serves.
Express Yourself: Multimedia Production Studio
Express Yourself is a maker space that will give residents of Durham access to industry standard equipment and learning opportunities for audio and video recording/editing, sewing and fiber arts.
Get Set, Get Ready, Let's Read
This year's grant funding will expand Durham County Library’s early literacy program from focusing on educating children to also focusing on educating parents and caregivers. Using the proven Ready-to-Read model, trained library staff will provide classes for parents and caregivers that focus on the 5 Practices of Every Child Ready to Read. Librarians will share tips, ideas, and background information on how to best Read, Talk, Play, Sing, Write with young children.
Hattie Meadows Garden Design Academy
The Hattie Meadows Garden Design Academy hosted by Stanford L. Warren Branch Library will consist of in-person and virtual instruction, as well as hands-on experiences in the actual design layout of the proposed Hattie Meadows Garden. The Academy will provide students with the necessary skills to create functional, aesthetically beautiful and environmentally sound residential gardens.
Humanities Programming
DLF's flagship funded programming series, the DCoL Humanities Presents theme for 2025-2026 is Identity & Empathy. This year’s proposed speakers and associated programs are designed to engage with the works of influential thinkers, so patrons can gain new perspectives that shape our understanding of identity, values, and beliefs.
Library Fest - 6th Annual
In celebration of National Library Week and all that libraries do, Library Fest is an annual community celebration and showcase of the many diverse ways DCoL is a part of the life of each of its patrons. In its sixth year, Library Fest America 250 will celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an opportunity to pause and reflect on our nation's past, honor the contributions of all Americans. Library Fest is held across the library system through collaboration with 50+ library staff and multiple community partners.
OverDrive & Libby E-Audiobook Series
This grant will help the library staff purchase missing e-Audiobook adult fiction series titles available. Filling series gaps in the collection will increase the availability of e-Audiobooks to library patrons and help encourage library users to discover new authors and titles.
Summer Engagement Program
Enhancing and reimagining the staple Summer Reading Program comes the Summer Engagement Program. The goal is to refocus library attention and resources entirely on developing and maintaining literacy skills through access to books over the summer and increase reading opportunities and enjoyment of those books, with the goal of ensuring students will be ready for the next school year.
Spanish Language Classes
This grant will facilitate the continuation of the very popular and very needed beginner and intermediate Spanish U courses. Over the last few years, the courses have had waitlists of over 100 community members seeking to to enhance their Spanish language skills for personal and professional growth.
Triangle Comics Creator Network
The Triangle Comics Creator Network (TCCN) is a library-run community group founded in 2018. It is an all-ages support and critique group for comics creators from across the Triangle with the purpose of developing the Durham comics community through sharing technical and professional knowledge for artists and writers of all skill levels and styles. This grant will help publish a comics anthology that showcases works created and edited by local comics to be distributed on Free Comic Book Day 2026 with community partners at local comic bookstores, and digitally via the library website.
