The Roanoke Rapids Public Library has been awarded a $1,590 grant to be used for a Laundromat Family Literacy Center to serve residents in the Roanoke Rapids community.

The family literacy center in Roanoke Rapids is located at A&D Laundromat at 138 Roanoke Avenue.

Roanoke Rapids Library Director Leigh Ann Brodsky said the initiative provided up to $5,000 to public libraries for the creation of the family literacy centers to purchase literacy materials, interactive learning manipulatives, appropriately-sized furniture and appropriate safety supplies.

The State Library of North Carolina has awarded $45,833 to 11 libraries across the state for the program.

"As pillars of our communities, libraries and museums bring people together by providing important programs, services, and collections,” said Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Crosby Kemper. “These institutions are trusted spaces where people can learn, explore and grow. IMLS is proud to support their initiatives through our grants as they educate and enhance their communities." 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. “We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development,” Kemper said. “Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities.”

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A&D Laundromat owner Al Leach said, “The kids have started noticing it. It’s adding more color to the place. I’m trying to brighten up the place. They come in and play with the books.”

Leach said the library came and talked to him about setting up the site in his business. “I was like anything to get books in their hands at a young age.”

Leach has been running the launderette in the former Collier’s store building for two-and-a-half years after coming here from Massachusetts. “I was looking for somewhere with 32 to 48-degree temperatures in the winter. I didn’t want to get too hot.”

His customers help him take care of the place, whether it is through sweeping or simply discarding dryer sheets properly. “I built this for them and they help keep it in good shape.”

One customer who didn’t want her name to be used said she liked the idea of the family literacy center. “I love everything here,” she said. “It’s just right down the street.”

The Library Services and Technology Act  grant awards are made possible by funding from the federal IMLS. They are administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.