Young bookworms in Andover and Loudon can soon enjoy newly stocked bookshelves at their local libraries. 

Thanks to a Rural Library Grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation, public libraries in the two towns will receive roughly $8,000 in books, programming funds and other merchandise ahead of the 2026-2027 school year. 

For Maxfield Public Library in Loudon, the grant comes at a critical time. Recently, the staff sorted through the children’s collection, discarding battered books, rarely-checked-out stories and outdated nonfiction with inaccurate information. It was the first “hard weed” in 14 years.

“There were a lot of books that moved on, and we wanted to be able to fill our shelves with new, accurate books that are going to be popular and provide a benefit for the community,” said Kersten Matera, the library director. Many of Maxfield’s patrons are homeschool families, and Matera is excited to supplement their curriculum.

The town of Andover has two public libraries overseen by Director Michaela Hoover — the Andover Public Library and the William A. Bachelder Library. Resources from the grant will be distributed between both libraries, with an estimated $2,000 worth of new books arriving on their shelves.

“For us, it’s a big deal because our book buying budget is like $6,000 for the year, so to have an extra $2,000 worth of materials makes a big difference to us,” Hoover said.

Not all the books will be strictly for borrowing, though: Some can be kept. Maxfield Public Library plans to distribute board books to families who complete the ‘1,000 books before kindergarten‘ challenge. In the spring, libraries in Andover will host a book giveaway for every child in the local elementary and lower middle school.

The libraries in both Andover and Loudon are set to receive literacy backpacks: take-home kits that include materials and activities to accompany a book inside. Families can check out the backpacks, which each have their own theme, through the libraries.

“That’s something I’ve really wanted to have in our library, but when it’s only one or two people working in your library, it’s hard to do some of those bigger projects,” Hoover said. “It’ll be nice to have some [literacy backpacks] that are ready-made to help our kiddos out.”

The grant also supplies funding for programming events, including an author or illustrator visit. The libraries plan to host the event at their respective local elementary schools. 

“We’re really excited because when kids hear from authors, it inspires them to write their own books and to read more often,” Hoover said. With the funds, the Andover libraries will also host a back-to-school block party with dinner and book giveaways for local families. 

Matera said that the Children’s Literacy Foundation strongly encouraged the libraries to collaborate with their local elementary schools, something she plans to pursue in Loudon.

In Andover, Hoover has set a target.

“Over this year, the goal is to get all of the elementary classes visiting the public library on a monthly or every-other-month basis,” she said.