BlogJunction Connecticut » Grants and Reimbursements

State Aid Payments for Public Libraries

Tom Newman — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:55 +0000

Annual State Aid Payments to Connecticut public libraries will go out within the next few weeks. The payment amounts will be smaller this year (between $1,200 and $1,700) due to a funding cut. Go to 2012 State Aid Payments to find out how much your library can expect. State Aid money must be spent within the next two years and it must be spent on the library. It cannot go to the general fund of the town.

Thanks go out to all those who filled out the Annual Report and Application for State Aid this year.

State Report Deadline Just 3 Weeks Away

Tom Newman — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:51:12 +0000

The Public Library Annual Statistical Report and Application for State Aid deadline is November 15. Library Directors should have received their logon information. Contact Tom Newman, Connecticut State Library with questions. Thanks go out to the 41 public libraries that have already completed their report.

Picture Book Math, Picture Book Science LSTA Project at the Hartford Public Library

Douglas Lord — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:49:34 +0000

The Hartford Public Library is collaborating with the Connecticut Science Center to bring age-appropriate understanding of numeracy, scientific inquiry, and literacy for Hartford children age 3-6.

It’s the kind of LSTA project that is scaleable to any size community and which is based on a foundation of solid, specific curricula developed by the State Department of Education.

Check out the best practices story and smiling kids on CT.WebJunction.

Lebanon’s Read, Rock & Rhyme still going strong

Douglas Lord — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:25:10 +0000

Four years later, still going strong!

Back in 2007, Linda Slate from the Jonathan Trumbull Library in Lebanon applied for an LSTA grant and started up the Read, Rock & Rhyme program.

Some grant programs struggle from the start. Others go great guns for a few years before succumbing to the axe-du-jour.

But Read, Rock & Rhyme (RRR) is busier than ever. Based on Betsy Diamont-Cohen’s Mother Goose on the Loose (MGOL) program, RRR’s programs showcase a wide range of early literacy elements and offer caregivers the tools to develop children’s early literacy skills.

So what’s the secret? Program director Linda Slate has some insights.

“Since our Library had just opened an additional day each week, I thought this program would be a perfect fit for the babies and their caregivers in our community who had previously been underserved.”

“After I was awarded the LSTA grant in 2007, Susan Cormier became my grant monitor. Her wealth of experience helped me ramp up the program and I was able to offer it in early 2008. Since then, RRR has served a total of 3,893 babies and their caregivers from Lebanon and surrounding towns. The babies who first attended RRR have transitioned to my Toddler Storytime, and now their younger siblings are attending RRR.

My advice to those of you who may be interested in offering a similar program would be:

limit the program to 30 minutes;
be flexible;
have fun with it (most important)

Your enthusiasm will become contagious, and this will likely become one of the best attended programs at your library.”

Thompson Public Library’s Community Book Bags

Douglas Lord — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:44:59 +0000

The Thompson Public Library’s Community Book Bags LSTA project is wrapping up a very successful year thanks to the hard work and positive energy of children’s librarian Kim Flynn.

Check out the best practices story on WebJunction.

Kim Flynn of the Thompson (CT) Public Library reads to a young patron

Cragin Memorial Library wraps successful Community Needs Assessment Grant

Douglas Lord — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:35:44 +0000

Library director Kate Byroade conducted a community needs assessment on behalf of the Cragin Memorial Library in Colchester.

“I may not have a ‘conventional’ success story,” says Byroade, “but it has definitely been a growth experience for me as a new director.”

Read about the project in the Grant Success Stories area of WebJunction Connecticut.

WebJunction: Getting the Right Grant – Grant Writing Basics

Kris — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:00:38 +0000

Getting the Right Grant Just about all libraries could use some extra funding these days, and the right grant can make a huge difference in the programming and resources you can offer your community. But if you’ve never done it before, the whole process of finding the right one for your situation, navigating the application process and writing a compelling case can be daunting. The Grant Writing Basics course will walk you through all the critical steps from finding a grant source, understanding the commitments required, writing and submitting, and finally beginning to implement.

This tutorial will cover each phase in the grant writing and submission process:

Prepare
Focus on Library Priorities
Develop the Grant Project
Research Funders and Find Appropriate Grants
Write the Grant Proposal
Implement, Evaluate and Continue the Process

Objectives

After completing this course, you will understand the following objectives:

Understand the basic process of grant work
Realize the importance of planning for grants
Recognize the steps involved in project development
Be encouraged and have the confidence to know that YOU can do it

To register for the course visit: Getting the Right Grant – Grant Writing Basics on WebJunction Connecticut
NOTE: After you enroll, you will receive an additional email with special LE@D login information within 3 business days. If you do not receive the message, please email courses@webjunction.org. After completing the course, click the Launch button on your My Courses page and follow the instructions to record completion.

Connecticard and State Aid Grants

Sharon Brettschneider — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:13:27 +0000

The State budget recently passed by the Legislature and expected to be signed by the Governor reduces both the State Aid Grants to principal public libraries and the Connecticard reimbursement grants. These reductions were part of the compromise suggested by the State Library in order to save both Connecticard and Connecticar.

State Aid was reduced from $347,109 to $ 207,692 for FY 2012. This means that there is just enough money in this program for each principal public library to receive the base grant of $1,200 and no more. There will be no additional amounts available for the equalization or incentive portions of the grant. Libraries contracted to provide library services to another Connecticut town will still receive the additional base grant for that town.

Connecticard grants was reduced from $1,226,028 to $1,000,000. CCard reimbursements depend on the level of CCard loans reported, but in general, participating libraries can expect to receive approximately 20% less in FY2012 than they received in FY2011.

If you have any questions regarding these reductions please contact:

Tom Newman
State Library Data Coordinator
860-757-6573
tom.newman@ct.gov

Hartford Public Library’s LSTA Success Story: Older Adults

Douglas Lord — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:14:43 +0000

Some news about HPL’s LSTA-funded Arts and Archives project joins other stories from the West Hartford Public Library and Ferguson Library in Stamford on our Grant Success Story page that share best practices.

The stories are there so that you can incorporate the best practices of these grant projects at your library. Read Hartford’s here.

State Aid Payments to Public Libraries to Go Out Soon

Tom Newman — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:56:57 +0000

All those principal public libraries eligible for the FY2011 Public Library State Aid Grant should be receiving payment checks within the next few weeks. If you want to know how much your library is receiving, please refer to this projected state aid payment listing on WebJunction CT. See State Grants to CT Public Libraries for an explanation of the program, aid calculation, and eligibility requirements.