Barton County Library has been awarded an Edge Action Plan Grant in the amount of $8,851. The Edge Program is used to measure the library’s success in providing for community needs, engaging the community, and managing technology resources.  The programs helps libraries assess their technology services and align them more closely with their community’s needs.  It also helps libraries identify service areas that need improvement and set attainable goals for that improvement.  Some of the goals for Barton County Library include replacing older technology on a regular basis to keep our hardware and software up-to-date, and providing patrons with access to equipment capable of video conferencing and recording podcasts.  The grant has been used to purchase three new laptops with this capability and will soon be available to patrons for in-library use at our Lamar Branch.  Funding was also used to replace two older servers. One server will provide a smoother, quicker checkout process for our patrons. The second server will give our staff a more stable environment to store and print files.  We have also purchased two replacement printers for our Lamar Branch. These printers will provide color printing for our patrons and black and white printing for our staff members. This project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.