IPSWICH, Mass. — June 23, 2023 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) will be awarding $300,000 in grants to three libraries looking to further their sustainability goals. Russell County Public Library (RCPL), Kentucky; Purdue University Fort Wayne Helmke Library, Indiana; and Maplewood Memorial Library Foundation, New Jersey, will each receive an EBSCO Solar Grant to pay for the installation of a solar array. The grants offset the cost of installing solar panels and allow the libraries to reduce their electricity expenditures.
RCPL will be working to install solar panels to offset the library’s electrical demand by a minimum of 40 percent, helping to facilitate an investment in clean energy. Russell County Public Library Director Lindsey Westerfield says, “RCPL is committed to fostering sustainability within our community. With the help of the EBSCO Solar grant, we will be the first civic agency in Russell County to implement a solar energy system, creating an education point for students, government and business leaders and community members.”
Purdue University Fort Wayne, which submitted for the “Helmke Solar ‘Sustainable Future’ Project”, has recently implemented several sustainability projects, including a native plant garden, solar charging stations and a solar pilot project. Purdue University Fort Wayne Associate Vice Chancellor for Technology and CIO Mitch Davidson says, “Currently only 16 percent of electricity in Indiana is generated by wind and solar. Indiana is the second largest consumer of coal in the United States. Given that burning coal is a significant contributor to climate change, we would like to emphasize the importance of migrating to alternative energy sources such as solar and wind. With the assistance of this grant, we can demonstrate the positive impact of solar energy in Indiana and educate our students and community about the importance of doing so. This project will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 25 tons annually, which is a very positive step forward, and it will power all the technology and lighting in Helmke Library as well as a portion of electricity consumed by other building services.”
The Maplewood Memorial Library Foundation is raising funds to help build a new library for the town, which will implement sustainable and healthy building practices to address community needs and requests. “Receiving the EBSCO Solar grant will help offset energy costs of what we are calling the ‘Library of the Future’. The Maplewood Library has been the heart of the community for more than 100 years and with this grant, we are looking to update our space into one that is sustainable, inspiring and accessible.”
For more information on EBSCO Solar, visit www.ebsco.com/solar.
About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the preeminent provider of online research content and search technologies serving academic, school and public libraries; healthcare and medical institutions; corporations; and government agencies around the world. From research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and development, EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
kmcevoy@ebsco.com
978-414-0443
