St. Louis Public Library is one of just 10 libraries nationwide chosen to join the Urban Libraries Council’s new Civic Makers Lab for Youth (15–18), a program funded by a $1 million grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.
"The St. Louis Public Library is excited by the possibilities of this grant, which will provide new ways to help our young people invest in their future and strengthen their community,” said Waller McGuire, CEO of St. Louis Public Library. “St. Louis is full of young people trying to find their place in their future, to build a life they can be proud of and gives them a chance to prosper. The Library's mission is to help our youth achieve their goals, and the Civic Makers Lab is an imaginative, meaningful way to work towards productive community involvement. We look forward to helping open some of these possibilities through the Civic Makers program."
The Civic Makers Lab concept is a peer-learning program that equips librarians to serve as civic learning facilitators, and empowers youth and young adults to be active contributors to their communities. The participating libraries will offer hands-on civic learning experiences that complement school education, and partner with community organizations and families to deepen civic impact.
In addition to St. Louis Public Library, the nine other ULC members selected, all with Carnegie branches, are:
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- Cleveland Public Library
- Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP)
- New Orleans Public Library
- The New York Public Library
- The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County
- Queens Public Library
- The Salt Lake City Public Library
- San José Public Library
“Public libraries are uniquely situated to turn the tide on youth disengagement. We thank Carnegie for their investment in this work,” said Brooks Rainwater, President & CEO of the Urban Libraries Council. “These ten ULC libraries are already essential pillars of their communities. We hope these grants allow them to take their work to empower young people to the next level.”
“Andrew Carnegie’s investment in free public libraries was rooted in the belief that access to knowledge should be available to everyone,” said Ambika Kapur, a program director for Education at the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.” The Civic Makers Lab carries a similar spirit forward, giving people hands-on opportunities to practice civic skills and lead change in their own communities, with librarians equipped to guide that work. We’re glad to support the Urban Libraries Council and the libraries in expanding what’s possible.”