Allen Schools’ library system will benefi t from the Striving Readers Grant this year. The grant is spread out over four years, and Allen is in the third year of receiving grant monies.

Last year, the school system updated its curriculum by purchasing new text books and Chromebooks. This year, Allen Schools will purchase new Chromebooks and update the library system, which was woefully behind.

“Our library has not been funded in forever,” Superintendent Jeff Hiatt said at the system’s last board meeting.

He said this year’s grant money -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,000 -- will bring Allen Schools’ library up to what the state considers a “standard library.”

Hiatt said not only will the system modernize the schools’ regular library, but they moved the elementary school’s portion of the library to the new elementary school building.

It will benefit the kids, since they won’t have to walk across the campus to visit the library, he said.

“So, when you go in there, it’s like an elementary library, a kids’ library, with all the fun furniture and that kind of stuff,” Hiatt said. “And we were able to get the furniture with the reading grant as well.”

Hiatt said the furniture has not been delivered just yet.

“Hopefully, when we get that in, we can open it up so people can come look at it,” he said.

Hiatt said Allen Schools’ libraries will be blended; with both Chromebooks and actual reading books.

“A lot of schools have gone away from libraries,” he said. “I just think reading is the key to everything in school.”