The Jackson County Public Library has received $991 to purchase books, digital materials and films addressing racial injustice in America to add to its circulating collections.

The Advancing Racial Equity Collection Development Grant was announced Thursday and is one of 150 being given to Indiana libraries, according to a news release from Indiana Humanities.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and ensuing protests, many libraries were overwhelmed by requests for materials, and library patrons faced long wait times for the most popular books and other resources related to racial equity, according to Indiana Humanities.

Schools, community organizations and libraries across Indiana were invited to apply for the grants, which range from $290 to $1,000. The grants are designed to add digital or physical resources addressing systemic racism, inequitable policing and/or protest through a humanities lens.

Lilly Endowment provided Indiana Humanities with a grant to distribute $134,264 to libraries and add books to the Indiana Humanities Novel Conversations statewide lending library.

Indiana Humanities is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to promoting public humanities by encouraging Hoosiers to think, read and talk.