WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking member of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, that the South Providence Public Library has been awarded $298,230 in federal funding for renovations.Funding will be used for renovations to the exterior and interior, and for handicapped access projects which have been designed to update the branchs information and computer capabilities, and will enable the branch to add an array of key services such as job training programs, resume writing workshops, English language classes, and enhanced computer access to meet the needs of South Providence residents. Reed made funding for the project a priority in his appropriations requests in 2003 and 2004. Reed stated, "The South Providence Public Library has played an essential role in the community for more than 70 years. I am pleased to have secured this federal funding to allow the library to further meet the needs of all of its citizens."Reed was the principle author of the Museum and Library Service Act Amendments which became law in 2003. This law updates museum and library programs to meet the future needs of citizens and doubled the minimum state allotment under the Library Services and Technology Act to enable smaller states like Rhode Island to benefit and implement library services and programs.Funding for the project was included in the Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill as an Economic Development Initiative Special Project.