Batavia Public Library gets national grant from American Library Association to support 2020 Census work

Batavia Public Library was named one of 59 libraries nationwide to receive a $2,000 Library Census Equity Fund grant from the American Library Association, which awarded the grants to bolster library services to hard-to-count communities and help achieve a complete count in the 2020 Census.

"Batavia Public Library, in collaboration with the City of Batavia and other community partners, is proud to be working to support a complete count of everyone in the Batavia area," said Batavia Public Library Director George H. Scheetz. "This grant will help us disseminate our core message to every corner of our community. The full count of everyone living in Batavia is critical to the distribution of federal tax money to our community."

The 2020 Census is used to determine the distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funds, grants, and support to states, counties, and communities.

The results of the census are used to reapportion the House of Representatives and will determine how many seats Illinois has in the future.

The census results can also determine where new schools, roads, and hospitals will be built in our community.

"The efforts of Batavia Public Library will shine a light on all the library workers across the country who are shouldering efforts to reach and inform their communities - especially vulnerable and hard-to-count populations - about the importance of a full and inclusive count," said ALA President Wanda Brown.

The results of the 2020 Census will affect communities across the country.

More than $1.5 trillion in federal funds are allocated each year to state and local governments based on census data.

When residents are missed in the census, their communities miss out on needed funding for services such as libraries, schools, health care, and transportation.

The U.S. Constitution requires a census of all residents every 10 years.

In the 2020 Census, residents will have the choice to respond online, by phone, or by mail.

The U.S. Census Bureau will send mailings to households before Census Day, which is April 1, 2020.

To help achieve a complete count in the 2020 Census, America's libraries are informing their communities and providing access to the online response option.

To learn more, visit ala.org/census and follow the conversation on social media with #CountOnLibraries.