IMLS Stories: Digital Inclusion for All

On March 14, 2025, Executive Order 14238, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” called for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  

RAILS is spotlighting libraries and institutions in Illinois that have received IMLS grant money and sharing how they used those funds. These posts are featured in our IMLS Stories series.  

Our goal is to raise awareness of the impact of IMLS funding and to encourage heightened advocacy moving forward. 

For the latest updates regarding IMLS, please refer to RAILS’ IMLS Pulse Page.  

For our first IMLS Stories blog post, we are featuring Downers Grove Public Library’s IMLS grant, Digital Inclusion for All. They received the grant in FY 2022 to improve their Wi-Fi network, printing services, access to take-home laptop kits, and the purchase of other tech equipment for their patrons. IMLS awarded $24,802 for this project. 

This grant was part of the American Rescue Plan for Museums and Libraries Program, created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which President Biden signed into law in 2021. ARPA allocated over $200 million to the IMLS as a response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

I asked Downers Grove Public Library Assistant Director Jen Ryjewski to speak on the impact of this funding three years after its allocation: 

GG: Could you tell me about your project and your role within it? 

JR: The name of the grant that was funded was entitled Digital Inclusion for All, for which I was the sole grant writer and manager of the project from start to finish. The purpose of our project was to embody and promote equitable patron access to digital technology, ensuring technology be made available to everyone. 

GG: What were the initial goals for the grant money when you applied to IMLS? 

JR: The initial goals remained unchanged for the duration of the project. The main overarching goal was for the program, Digital Inclusion for All, to strengthen the Downers Grove Public Library’s capacity to respond to the digital needs of the community quickly, effectively, and efficiently by advancing digital inclusion through the availability of laptop kits and increasing Wi-Fi access to create a more robust wireless environment and reach patrons beyond the physical building to the parking lot, garden area, and public along the perimeter of the building. 

GG: What value does this project bring to the community?   

JR: The main core value that Digital Inclusion for All brought to our community was ensuring that everyone felt welcome at the Downers Grove Public Library and that they had access to basic technology, especially those vulnerable community members who experienced obstacles and barriers to technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing laptop kits, hotspots, and increasing Wi-Fi access, all community members would have the same opportunity to enhance their lives, increase their skill set, or have fun by pursuing their vocational, educational, and recreational goals that required the use of technology. 

GG: Is there a cause-and-effect relationship between this particular grant and the quality of your library service? How so? 

JR: By providing these additional services, we have increased our reach in the community and have helped others who cannot afford computers and internet access at home to achieve their wants and needs as they pertain to technology. We’ve met real and dire community needs and have enriched their lives as well. 

The feedback they’ve received from their patrons has been positive. The Wi-Fi hot spots included in their kits have been the standout hit.  

I asked Ryjewski what impact receiving the IMLS grant had on the project, to which she responded, “Quite simply, the grant permitted us to carry out the project, so without the IMLS American Rescue Plan grant funds, the project would not have been possible.” 

As we continue this series, we hope to explore more of the ways that IMLS funding has benefitted library communities throughout Illinois. If your library has received IMLS funding and you would like to be featured in this series, please send inquiries to RAILS Communications Intern, Gwen Gemmell. 

Special thanks to Jen Ryjewski and Cindy Khatri for their time and assistance.