Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded $752,835 in “Back to Books” grants to 187 Illinois libraries for fiction and nonfiction books. Spokesperson for the SOS Henry Haupt says awards ranged from $465 to $4,900 per library and were made possible by federal Library Services and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Libraries submitted applications specifying the types of books that were needed then the grants were awarded to help