Medina County District Library awarded federal grant for new scanner

The Medina County District Library has received a federal grant to fund a new scanner for its Family History & Learning Center.

In late 2024, FHLC staff began seeking funding to purchase a scanner capable of digitizing historical documents and supporting partnerships with local historical societies. The library identified the National Leadership Grant for Libraries through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a competitive grant requiring an initial proposal before a full application.

“Our liaison at IMLS said she considered our proposal very strong from the start,” said Lauren Kuntzman, FHLC manager. “We submitted the completed grant on March 10, 2025. Three days later, an executive order dismantled the IMLS.” A week later, MCDL was informed the grant applications were on hold.

Federal lawsuits followed, and in August a judge ruled that funds already budgeted to IMLS had to be distributed. MCDL received notice late on Labor Day weekend that the grant had been awarded in the full $100,000 requested.

The process to purchase the scanner faced additional delays. During the hold, the cost increased, and a federal government shutdown in October and November prevented access to funds. A December funding request was not received due to an issue in the online system. The request was resubmitted and accepted in January 2026, and the scanner was delivered, installed and ready for use in April.

The CopiBook Open System overhead scanner features an 18-by-24-inch scan bed, book cradles to protect bindings, and the ability to scan multiple items at once while saving images as individual files. The grant covers the cost of the scanner and related expenses, as well as staff time for the project.

The FHLC has a queue of materials ready for digitization, including Sanborn maps from the 1950s-60s covering Medina; store ledgers from Granger Township dating to the 1830s, on loan from the Granger Historical Society; and school records on loan from the Medina County Historical Society. Digitized items will be available through the Medina County Memory Project.

The project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides federal support for libraries and museums through grant funding, research and policy development.