Disaster Relief Grants

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has the discretion to set aside funds and award grants when public, school, academic or special libraries encounter exceptional and overwhelming emergencies due to disasters such as fire and flooding. These grants are designed to ensure that libraries who have suffered a loss due to a disaster have funds to begin rebuilding collections and/or replace lost equipment. The grants provide immediate, short-term funding upon receipt and evidence of a credible need by the requesting library.

If your library has sustained damage or loss due to the recent flooding or other disaster, please contact the Illinois State Library, Library Development Group, at 217-524-8836 for more information about these special grant funds.

“Back to Books” Grants Awarded

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded more than $1 million in Back to Books grants to 230 Illinois libraries to acquire fiction and/or nonfiction books, learning CDs and DVDs and other educational materials.

I am pleased to be able to award these grants that will allow library users to be better educated and entertained, said White. Our libraries perform so many essential tasks, but at their core what our libraries do best is make books and other materials available to patrons.

Libraries submitted applications specifying the types of books and other materials they would purchase if they received funding. These include:

  • Building collections in women’s studies and sociology
  • Health sciences books for nursing students
  • Books and other materials to help veterans make the transition from military to civilian life
  • DVDs to provide training to firefighters
  • New materials in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and craftsmanship subjects
  • Cultural, geographical and travel books and DVDs
  • Spanish language fiction and nonfiction books, DVDs and audiobooks
  • Large-print books for senior citizens on topics related to retirement such as health, hobbies, finances, technology and travel.

Awards range from $2,500 to $5,000 per library and are made possible by a combination of funds from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and state of Illinois library funds. Find a list of libraries that received grants on the ISL website.

Back to Books Grant Applications Due Friday

The Illinois State Library invites library agencies to apply for Back to Books, a collection development grant offering. Academic, public, school, and special library agencies that are full members of the regional library systems are eligible to apply for $2,500 to $5,000 per agency. Purchases may include fiction and/or non-fiction books in a variety of formats, languages and reading levels. Acceptable materials include:

  • Books
  • Large print books
  • Audio books
  • Graphic novels
  • Educational CDs or DVDs
  • Associated shipping and processing costs are allowable.

An agency may submit only one application, which is due Friday, March 15, 2013. You can access complete details of eligibility, requirements, application, and program guidelines here.

“Back to Books” grants are made possible with federal Library Services and Technology Act funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

School District Library Grants Awarded

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded FY2013 School District Library Program Grants totaling almost $1.4 million to 642 Illinois public school districts. Nearly 1.7 million students served by school library media programs will benefit from the grants.

As a former public school teacher and administrator, I know our school libraries are so important in helping students learn and prepare themselves for the future. Several studies in recent years have shown that students perform better in the classroom in school districts that have strong library media programs. Illinois was the first state to implement a school district grant program, and I’m pleased that we can continue to provide school libraries with some of the financial resources they need to produce well-educated students.” –Jesse White

Grants were awarded based on a formula of $.75 per student, with a minimum grant award of $735.50. The School District Library Grant Program provides funds that can be used for things like the acquisition of library materials to support reading for academics and enjoyment, library subscriptions to electronic resources, or improved technology to support student research.

The list of school districts receiving grants is posted on the Illinois State Library website.

“Digital Divide” Grant Budget Adjustments Due

If your library received an Eliminate the Digital Divide grant from the Illinois State Library and you need to submit a budget adjustment, please remember that adjustments are due on Friday, March 1.

The Eliminate the Digital Divide grant program seeks to provide access to computers, telecommunications technologies and related training to disadvantaged communities.

Contact Cherryl Walker at cwalker@ilsos.net, 217-782-0974, if you have questions.

Grant Applications Available

The Illinois State Library has announced that applications are currently being accepted for Back to Books and FY2014 Public Library Construction grants.

Back to Books Grants:
Academic, public, school, and special library agencies that are full members of the regional library systems are eligible to apply for $2,500 to $5,000 per agency. Purchases may include fiction and/or non-fiction books in a variety of formats, languages and reading levels. Acceptable materials include:

  • Books
  • Large print books
  • Audio books
  • Graphic novels
  • Educational CDs or DVDs
  • Associated shipping and processing costs are allowable.

Only one application may be submitted per agency. Applications are due March 15, 2013.

FY2014 Public Library Construction Grants:
Even though no funding is currently available to award grants in FY2014, the State Library is required by law (30 ILCS 767) to accept applications in the event funding does become available through action by the General Assembly and the Governor. The deadline to submit applications is April 15, 2013.

The Public Library Construction Act Grant program is different from the State Library’s Live and Learn Construction Grant program. Public Library Construction Act Grants provide state matching funds to support design and new library construction, remodeling, renovation or maintenance of Illinois public libraries. Applications are ranked based on the age of library buildings and the length of time since substantial work was completed on the facilities; the square footage of the library in relation to the population it serves; and whether life/safety issues are being addressed with the building improvements. The amount of state funding awarded to each library is only a percentage of the total cost of the project, and is determined by a mathematical formula included in the legislation. Any remaining project costs are a local responsibility, and libraries will receive the funding only if local financing is arranged and approved by a specified date.

If you have questions about the Public Library Construction Act Grant Program,
please contact Mark Shaffer at 217-524-4901, mshaffer@ilsos.net; or Pat Boze
at 217-782-1892, pboze@ilsos.net.

Adult Literacy Grant Reviewers Needed

The Illinois State Library is inviting librarians, literacy professionals and interested members of the public to nominate themselves as volunteers to review FY 2014 Adult Literacy Grant applications. The Adult Literacy Grant program includes Adult Volunteer Literacy, Penny Severns Family Literacy and Workplace Skills Enhancement grants. If your agency is applying for any of the FY2014 Adult Literacy grant categories, you are not eligible to become a volunteer reviewer.

Persons selected as volunteer reviewers will be required to complete a Conflict of Interest form, an Ethics Certification form, and an Open Meetings Act certification. Reviewers review each grant application on its own merit, and keep all applications and comments confidential. Literacy staff from the Illinois State Library will provide training in late March or early April. From late April until early June, reviewers will independently read, score and write comments about applications using a published rubric. Fifty to one hundred applications will be evaluated by each reviewer.

A volunteer review committee meeting may take place in mid-June consisting of in-person meetings and videoconferencing. Volunteer grant reviewer recommendations and comments will then be compiled and shared with the Literacy Advisory Board, whose members will make recommendations to Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White. Any meetings of the volunteer reviewers will be open and subject to the Open Meetings Act. There is no pay or honorarium, but reviewers will be reimbursed according to State of Illinois travel regulations and rates for hotel, mileage and a per diem for the review session in Springfield or travel to various videoconference sites throughout the state.

Interested persons should compose a brief letter of application including name, home address, phone, fax, email address, place of employment (library, community-based organization, or another type of organization) and employer address. Briefly explain why you would like to be a grant reviewer. Be specific in explaining your knowledge of adult literacy. Email the letter of application to Cyndy Colletti at ccolletti@ilsos.net on or before March 1.

The Illinois State Library strives to maintain a reputation of objectivity, fairness and equity in its grant programs. Funding for Adult Literacy grants is awarded by the Illinois State Library, a division of the office of Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White, using state funds.

New LSTA Grant Opportunity

The Illinois State Library will soon be announcing a new Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Collection Development grant opportunity: Back to Books. Purchases may include fiction and/or non-fiction books in a variety of formats, languages and reading levels. Acceptable materials will include:

  • Books
  • Large print books
  • Audio books
  • Graphic novels
  • Educational CDs or DVDs
  • Associated shipping and processing costs are allowable.

Public, school, academic and special library agencies will be eligible to apply for $2,500–$5,000 per agency.  ISL will provide a formal grant announcement shortly.

The State Library invites librarians to nominate themselves as volunteers to review the “Back to Books” grant applications. Grant reviews will take place during March and early April. Applications will be mailed to reviewers, with no travel required and no compensation provided. Reviewers are required to have written a successful grant application and have project management experience.

Interested persons should submit a self-nomination including name, library, work address, phone, fax and e-mail address. Briefly explain why you would like to be a grant reviewer and provide information about past experiences with grants. E-mail your self-nomination to Karen Egan at kegan@ilsos.net on or before February 15.

“Back to Books” grants are made possible with federal Library Services and Technology Act funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

School District Library Grant Applications Due

Don’t forget!  Applications for the FY2013 School District Library Grant are due at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 16, 2012.

When submitting your application to the Illinois State Library, please include in the subject line on the e-mail, “FY13 SDLP Per Capita Grant” — and your “School District Office Location.”

For questions concerning the grant, please contact Robert Jones at rjones1@ilsos.net, 217-785-1168 or Becky Hunter at bhunter1@ilsos.net, 217-782-7849.

Read for Information Grant

The Illinois School Library Media Association/Library Book Selection Service Fund has announced a new grant this year. To apply for this grant you must be a school librarian and a current ISLMA member by the date of your application.

This grant is designed to show the importance of “literary nonfiction” in the new Common Core Standards that will be in effect in the next few years. As priorities change, our collections need more informational texts. For the purpose of this grant, non-fiction materials may include print, audio, or electronic formats– subscription materials will not qualify.

Information about the grant, including the criteria, checklist, and rubric is available at the ISLMA/LBSS Endowment Fund website. All grant applications must be submitted by December 15, 2012. Questions may be sent to info@lbssfund.org, by fax to 309-649-0916 or by phone to 309-649-0911.

Funds for the endowment fund were received by the Illinois School Library Media Association when the nonprofit Library Book Selection Service was dissolved in June of 2005. A stipulation of the agreement between LBSS and ISLMA was that the assets be invested in order to fund grants to encourage students’ reading of quality literature in Illinois.