The Cranston Public Library has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Champlin Foundations. This grant will fund the renovation of the Central Library’s Children’s Room and Children’s Program Room.

“We are looking forward to redesigning the Children’s Room so it reflects the way kids use the library today,” said Emily Brown, the library’s coordinator of youth services. “Young people come to the library for so many different things – to find the perfect book, to play, to learn new skills, to meet people. With this grant, we can create a space that makes all of these activities possible.”

Construction on the Children’s Room is scheduled to begin in August 2015. In the meantime, members of the community are invited to share their thoughts and vision for the future of the space. A public survey regarding Children’s Room use and function has been posted to the Cranston Public Library website at www.cranstonlibrary.org/kids.

“We hope to engage the community in a conversation about the role of the library in children’s lives,” Brown said. “Lots of people have special memories of visiting the library when they were children. We hope people will share their experiences with us so we can design a room that they will love and want to visit.”

The Children’s Room won’t be library’s first renovation project made possible by the generosity of the Champlin Foundations. In the past two years, the Foundations have awarded $205,000 in grant funds to the library, supporting the renovation of the Circulation Department, as well as the ongoing renovation of the Reference Department and the construction of the new “C Lab,” a public space for exploring and learning new technology.

“We are thankful for the generous support that the Champlin Foundations have shown to the Cranston Public Library and to libraries across Rhode Island,” Library Director Ed Garcia said. “Their continued support will allow the us to re-imagine library services to align with the needs of our changing community.”