Albert Hill Middle library receives grant from bestselling author James Patterson

The school will use the $3,000 grant to purchase nearly 300 new books.

January 5, 2016; 8:55 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

Albert Hill Middle School was selected as one of 467 schools nationwide to receive a $3,000 grant to increase their library’s collection. Chosen from a pool of 27,000 applicants, the school will also receive free books and instructional material from Scholastic Reading Club, which partnered with Patterson on the grant project.

A big proponent of school libraries and increased access to literature, Patterson has donated $1.75 million to the cause in the past year alone, with grants ranging from $1,000 to over $10,000.

“These grants are my humble acknowledgement of some of the terrific work taking place in libraries,” Patterson said in a statement. “Here’s to communities supporting school libraries. Here’s to a country that makes reading a priority.”

Albert Hill will use their $3,000 grant to purchase nearly 300 new books, which will primarily include non-fiction works, according to Richmond Public Schools spokeswoman Kenita Bowers.

To learn more about the program and to see the full list of winners, click here.