S. Dale High Education Fund Grant Finances Infrastructure Improvements at Elizabethtown College's High Library

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (07/30/2010)(readMedia)-- Elizabethtown College's High Library will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its opening with a safety makeover thanks to a $44,000 grant from the S. Dale High Education Fund of the Lancaster County Community Foundation. The funding will finance important upgrades to the fire protection system and necessary aesthetic improvements to the facility, which has been a valuable resource for Elizabethtown College students and central Pennsylvania residents for the past two decades.

A large portion of the S. Dale High Education Fund grant will be used to finance the replacement of the fire protection system currently used at the High Library. The upgraded pre-action fire alarm system not only will meet the current safety requirements-protecting students and local residents in the event of a fire-but it also will protect the valuable, and in some cases irreplaceable, collections housed at the facility from damage due to mechanical malfunction. Water in the new state-of-the-art system is stored along the walls, instead of the ceilings, mitigating the potential hazard of water damage in the event of a pipe break or other equipment failure.

The McCormick Family Foundation also is supporting the High Library's 20th anniversary by supporting the expansion of the McCormick Research Laboratory's Laptop Lending Program with a $25,000 grant. Steadily growing in popularity, the highly successful program allows students to access the College's wireless computer network from any location in the High Library. This flexibility is creating opportunities for student project collaboration. It also supports the diverse study styles of the College's student body-allowing them to complete research, projects and papers in the way that is most comfortable for them. The McCormick Research Laboratory's Laptop Lending Program now benefits upwards of 250 students each day.

The High Library officially opened its doors in September 1990. Housing an estimated 200,000 books and an expanding collection of online resources, the facility provides visitors with access to a world of knowledge seven days per week during the academic year and weekdays during the summer. Through their efforts, the High Library staff members connect people with ideas and create an intellectual and cultural commons-both physical and virtual-where individuals can experience the power of sharing information.

Established in 1924, the Community Foundation's mission is to advance the vitality and well-being of the people of Lancaster County by inspiring generosity and being responsible stewards of gifts for future generations. The Community Foundation is entrusted with millions of dollars in community assets which are invested for the long-term benefit of Lancaster County. On a yearly basis, the Community Foundation invests in a wide variety of organizations that provide essential community services. In 2009, the Community Foundation invested nearly $2 million in Lancaster County through grants and other initiatives.

Elizabethtown College, in southeastern Pennsylvania, is a private coed college with degrees in liberal arts, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, business, communications and education. The hallmarks of an Elizabethtown education are academic rigor, high expectations and intellectual curiosity. Our faculty members are teacher-scholars, pursuing their academic areas of expertise while sharing that expertise with students.

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Posted Friday July 30, 2010 at 06:00 am by Elizabethtown College
Last Updated Tuesday August 24, 2010 at 01:03 pm