The Saul O Sidore Memorial Foundation, a private non-profit charitable trust located in Bedford, N.H., announces the award of three grants to municipal libraries in New Hampshire. The semi-annual grants are part of a long-term commitment to providing funding for libraries, in towns with fixed resources, for limited projects that help to improve the libraries' service to their constituency. In general, the grants will not be awarded to fund "drives" or other general fundraising efforts.

The new grants have been awarded to the public libraries of Antrim, Bennington, and Lancaster. The James A. Tuttle Library, Antrim will receive a grant of $3,000 to help purchase and install a Winnebago Library Automation System. The G.E.P. Dodge Library, Bennington will also receive a $3,000 grant for help with the purchase of installation of a Winnebago System. The William D. Weeks Memorial Library, Lancaster was granted $3,000 toward the cost of a complete set of microfilms of the Coos County Democrat and a microform reader/printer.

The grants are named in memory of Rebecca Lee Spitz, a native of Manchester and a trustee of the Foundation who died of cancer at the age of 47. She had earned a Masters degree in Library Science, and had worked for several years as a multi-lingual librarian for the city of Haifa, Israel. In addition to being a volunteer at the Hollis Social Library, she also served for a number of years as Treasurer of the Hollis School District.

The first grant in this program was awarded in December, 1995 to the Hollis Social Library. Subsequent grants were awarded to the libraries of Campton, Durham, Goffstown, Hillsboro, Newmarket, Plainfield, Tamworth, and Wakefield.

Further grants in this program will be considered at the next semi-annual meeting of the Foundation, which will take place in May, 1999. For information about the guidelines and the form of application, municipal libraries in New Hampshire should address inquiries to: Ralph Sidore, Treasurer, Saul O Sidore Memorial Foundation, 24 Gage Road, Bedford, N.H. 03110.