Thorne Library receives grant to expand Children’s Literature collection

DECEMBER 5, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HEADLINE: Thorne Library receives grant to expand Children’s Literature collection

CUTLINE: MVNU_Thorne Library.jpg — Mount Vernon Nazarene University students, from left, Ellie Wolfe, Hannah Hogle, Lilly Croft and Marta Miranda sort through a collection of books purchased with a new grant received by the Thorne Library. MVNU was able to add 60 Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book award-winning titles to its Educational Resource Center with the funds. (Photo courtesy of Mount Vernon Nazarene University)
 
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), awarded by the State Library of Ohio, Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Thorne Library has been awarded $1,031 through the Celebrating Ohio Book Awards & Authors (COBAA) LSTA Grant. The grant enabled the library to add more than 60 Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book award-winning titles to its Educational Resource Center (ERC), which serves education students and Knox County community members.

The expansion of the ERC’s children and young adult literature collection will enhance literacy education for pre-service teachers while providing updated resources to local families. MVNU’s teacher education program includes both undergraduate and graduate tracks, and the new collection will expose future educators to current trends and themes in juvenile literature while highlighting the work of Ohio authors.

“We are very grateful to the LSTA for choosing MVNU’s Thorne Library as a COBAA grant recipient this year,” said Christy Taylor, Thorne Library Director and COBAA Grant Project Lead. “We are thrilled to have a number of celebrated books to add to our collection, and we look forward to sharing these new materials with our MVNU students as well as children and families in our local community. Many of the university students on our campus are not from Ohio, so having access to Ohio award winning books gives us the opportunity to showcase the beauty and talent that resides right here in our own backyard.”

The library partnered with Paragraph’s Bookstore in Mount Vernon to purchase the titles, supporting local business while building the collection.
Ellie Wolfe, a junior elementary education major, expressed enthusiasm about the new resources: “I am so excited about the new books that we have received through this grant. These books will help education majors expand our knowledge base of current literature for students of all ages. These books will also help us effectively analyze current literature in our academic path and select quality literature for our students to read in the future.”
For more information about the Thorne Library, the State Library of Ohio, the COBAA grant, or Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Awards, visit https://mvnu.libguides.com/c.php?g=1467592.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,200 students from 36 states, one U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.

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