FY17 Grants Management Manual



FY2018Grants Management Manual11525251968500Library Advisory and Development UnitRuth Urell, Head of Library Advisory and Development, ruth.urell@state.ma.us, Ext. 237Amy Clayton, Administrative Coordinator, amy.clayton@state.ma.us, Ext. 228Lyndsay Forbes, Project Manager and Grant Specialist, lyndsay.forbes@state.ma.us, Ext 252Shelley Quezada, Consultant to the Unserved, shelley.quezada@state.ma.us, Ext. 235Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, Preservation Specialist, gregor.trinkaus-randall@state.ma.us, Ext. 23657150143573500Table of ContentsPurpose of Manual ………………………………………………………………………………………..3Who’s Who in the Grant Process …………………………………………………………………..4Timeline ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Award Letter………………………………………………………………………………………………….8Pre-Project Activities ……………………………………………………………………………………10Contracts ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..11Program and Budget Revisions …………………………………………………………………….14Disbursement Forms ………………………………………………………………………………..….18Progress Reports ………………………………………………………………………………………….22 Evaluation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………31 Audits ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32Publicity ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….33A Final Word ………………………………………………………………………………………………..40Glossary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….41Index …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….43Chapter 1: Purpose of Manual This manual should help streamline the process of managing your project. We recommend that the Library Director and Project Director (maybe the same person) become familiar with this manual and refer to it at any time that questions arise. The grant manual can also be found online at requirements change and this manual is key to communicating these changes to you. This manual provides an easily accessible guide to what happens once you have been awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant. It will give you one location in which all forms, deadlines, required financial and programmatic reporting, and contractual responsibilities can be referenced.You should keep your manual in a handy location and refer to it throughout the life of your grant. Once the project is completed, the manual and your reports should represent a complete record of the project and can be filed in the library. Project files must be kept for three years after the project is completed and all financial reports submitted. This manual is primarily written for Project Directors and will guide you through the preparation of reports, especially the financial reporting which most people find the hardest, and remind you of the do's and don'ts along the way. NOTE: Many do's and don'ts appear in the Agreement your library must sign with the MBLC. References to this Agreement will appear throughout this manual as “Agreement: #”, with the “#” referring to the appropriately numbered paragraph.Chapter 2: Who’s Who in the Grant Process?In addition to the federal government, which actually appropriates and allocates the money to each state based on a formula, there are a myriad of players once the money travels electronically from Washington to Massachusetts.The Federal Agency - The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to:promote improvement in library services in all types of libraries facilitate access to resources in all types of libraries for the purpose of cultivating an educated and informed citizenryencourage resource sharing among all types of libraries for the purpose of achieving economical and efficient delivery of library services to the publicNOTE: As the funding agency, IMLS must be recognized in all publicity, media, and documents that are created for this project. The Grantee - State Library Administrative Agency (MBLC) Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is the agency responsible for administering these federal LSTA funds. Once your award is recommended by the State Advisory Council on Libraries (SACL) and voted by the Board of Library Commissioners, then agency staff takes over the responsibilities of seeing that funds are spent according to statute and regulation. In the land of legal jargon, the agency is the grantee, i.e., the recipient of the entire state's allotment from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This year it is about $3.2 million. The Director of the agency sends out award letters and appoints a Project Consultant to monitor your project. This consultant is usually the person at the MBLC who has worked with you during the application part of the grant process. The agency issues a press release announcing the awards and encourages individual libraries to follow up with local media.NOTE: As the agency administering LSTA funds, the MBLC must be recognized in all publicity, media, and documents that are created for this project.Project ConsultantIt is the responsibility of the MBLC Project Consultant to assist you in doing a successful project. That often means continuing to work closely with you throughout the year and even beyond. Sometimes that means telling you things you may not want to hear, such as that you may not buy a new copier instead of the board books you’d mentioned in your proposal. It is also his/her responsibility to monitor all aspects of your project —programmatic and financial— and report the results to the agency and to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Project Consultant's responsibilities include:ensuring that any contingencies on the award as approved by the Commissioners are metnegotiating with the Project Director any revisions to the proposal and/or budget as approvedprocessing disbursement requests in a timely mannerapproving all project revisions in accordance with the contract (Agreement: #2)maintaining contact with the Project Director through emails, telephone calls or site visitsadvising the Project Director on programmatic and financial issues that often arise during the projectreviewing all progress reports and documentation on project expenditures and returning reports if necessary for revisionreporting project plans and results to the Institute of Museum and Library Services The Subgrantee - You!The subgrantee is the library, network, or cooperating group who is the recipient of this award. As such, it contracts with the MBLC to expend the funds in accordance with the plan set out in the grant proposal and for accomplishing the objectives as approved. Library Director The director of the library, school superintendent (for school districts) or principal (for individual schools), Executive Director of the network or cooperating group, regional administrator or other “governing authority” is responsible for:appointing a Project Director who will be primarily responsible for the projectnotifying the MBLC Project Consultant immediately if the Project Director leaves or will be absent from the project for longer than three months (Agreement: #2)ensuring that contractual agreements between the grantee and subgrantee are met (See Chapter 6 Contracts) and any obligation of funds is made only after Agreements have been signed and approved (Agreement: #8)seeing that all reports are submitted on timearranging for an audit to be submitted to the MBLC covering the entire period of the project when requiredProject DirectorThis is the person appointed by the director of the library or group to manage the project and do all reporting from start to finish. In some projects, the library director is also the Project Director. The Project Director’s responsibilities include:negotiating with the MBLC Project Consultant any revisions to proposal and/or budget as approvedrequesting the MBLC Project Consultant to disburse funds at appropriate intervals to ensure the project proceeds in a timely mannercarrying out the project description and timeline stated in the original proposal with negotiated changes, if anycompleting one Interim Report and one Annual Report (four reports for two year projects) on time and accuratelygiving recognition to LSTA, IMLS and MBLC in all publicationssending in electronic copies of survey results, newspaper clippings, flyers, program announcements, schedules, brochures, press releases or other publicityspending ALL of the money, even if it means overspending and taking the deficit out of local funds personally tracking all disbursement requests, expenditures and obligations, even if your business office is ultimately responsible for the accountingevaluating whether or not the project met its goals and objectives (Agreement: #18)HELPFUL HINT: Keeping a journal of activities as they are completed often makes this a lot easierOther State AgenciesIn order for the MBLC to administer this program and disburse funds, it must rely on several other state agencies. You will be asked to sign a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract. The contract must then be approved by the Office of the Comptroller prior to the start of any project activities that will require funds. This often takes a minimum of 714 days from the time the MBLC receives the contract from you. Disbursements, likewise, must be approved by the same agency — only after the Standard Contract has been approved and only after money has been received from Washington. This official start date will be noted on your copy of the documents returned to you for your files.Other Local AgenciesSince all funds must be accounted for separately, your municipality’s treasurer or accountant must be involved. It is the Commonwealth's requirement that all grant funds to a public library be paid in the same manner that state aid is paid. For most libraries, this means it is paid to the city or town. It is wise, therefore, to alert the appropriate town official when a disbursement is expected so they will identify these funds and notify you that they have been received. Any interest earned on federal money must be returned to the federal government (Agreement: #11) and it is costly to do so you should discuss with your financial officer the possibility of placing funds in a noninterest bearing account. Local purchasing regulations regarding contracts, payroll, bids, vendor selection, accounting, etc. must be followed for expending project funds (Agreement: #9). This will mean that local officials responsible for these activities on a regular basis will be involved in the project. They should also be aware from the beginning of the project that the funds should be audited with the town’s audit (Agreement: #14; See Chapter 12 AUDITS). For some town officials, it is important to know the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, or CFDA, number for your project. The CFDA # for your project is 45.310. If you are hiring temporary staff to carry out your project, or increasing the hours of part-time staff, you should check your municipality’s personnel practices.Nonprofits, such as networks and the Massachusetts Library System, are subject to the same requirement for handling funds, but in those cases, funds are paid directly to the non-profit.Chapter 3: TimelineDue dates for reports are quite specific and contained in the contract (Agreement: #18). Since they are known well ahead of time, it is expected that you will plan ahead and submit them on time. There are times, however, when a library is waiting to receive necessary information from its business office or vendor to complete a report. In these instances, the report should be sent in on time and the expenditure report as soon as the information is complete. In any event, you should contact your Project Consultant if any part of the report will be late. It is especially important that the report due October 15th is submitted on time. PLEASE MARK THESE DATES ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW2017JULYSubgrantee receives award letter. AUGUST-SEPTEMBERPreproject activities take place.Contract packet, is distributed to subgrantee’s agency director. Signed contracts, agreements and first disbursement requests are due back at agency and processed; first disbursements enter payment cycle immediately after October 1.2018APRIL 15Interim Report is due. SEPTEMBER 1Expenditure of funds is complete and any remaining invoices paid by September 30.OCTOBER 15Annual Report is due with all funds reported as expended (for one year grants) and activities and accomplishments for entire project summarized in narrative section. Financial expenditures and complete report for year one of a two year project due.2019APRIL 15Second Interim Report due for two year awards.SEPTEMBERAudit for years ending June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2019 due thirty days after completion of grant (unless all disbursements and expenditures occurred in the same state fiscal year) or town is exempt (See Chapter 11, AUDITS).OCTOBER 15Final report and expenditures for second year of two year grants are due.Chapter 4: Award LetterThe award letter (See Sample 1) notifies the subgrantee that approval has been given to its project and it is technically "provisional”. The federal allotment the MBLC receives can be spent over two years, and Massachusetts customarily spends the funds in the second year. Thus it is unlikely that any grant awarded would not be funded. The letter also tells you who your Project Consultant from the agency's staff will be and when your project may start. Projects cannot receive funds prior to October 1.In some cases, the amount of the award is less than what you requested; in other cases it is more (rare, but it does happen). Your Project Consultant will discuss with you changes in your project that will be required by the final award amount and any specific conditions. You may not wish to proceed with the project given these changes. The MBLC, when it is assured that sufficient funds are available, will notify you (by sending your contract) that the project will proceed. You should wait until this happens before making a public announcement. Announcements made in August for a project that does not begin until October can cause disappointment and a break in momentum. You can, of course, inform staff and trustees and any advisory group informally. You should not encumber any funds until your contract has been signed by your library, has been sent back to us, and has been returned to you, signed by the MBLC Director, and never, ever before October 1st.-17145036195000Sample 1- Your Award LetterAugust 3, 2017Dudley T. DirectorDuittrite Public Library24 Main StreetAnytown, MA 01234Dear Dudley, At its July 13th meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners approved a provisional Science is Everywhere grant in the amount of $7,500 for your Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) special project. The Board’s approval is contingent on your return of the required contract and agreement to its conditions.Your program is scheduled to begin on October 1, 2017. In early August, you will receive the contract and further information about the management of your grant. Any public announcement of the grant prior to the return of a signed contract to us should include language that is grant is provisional. Your consultant, Mary Consultant, will keep you informed of any updates, workshops or other news related to your project. Please feel free to discuss any questions you have about your project or the process with Mary.We congratulate you on your successful grant proposal and are pleased that we can make LSTA funding available to assist you in providing improved library services to your community.Sincerely yours,James LonerganDirector044958000cc: Ida Rita Lot, Project DirectorChapter 5: Pre-Project ActivitiesIn August, it seems as if there will be a lot of time to complete all the activities we expect of you once the project really starts. Our experience repeatedly tells us that this will not be so. Because daily crises will inevitably arise in your library, twelve months will shrink to nothing before your very eyes. Getting vendors to deliver what they promise in a speedy way, finding equipment that meets your needs on the state contract, waiting for back orders on the exact titles you absolutely must have, getting speakers to call back, staff shortages, project staff breaking legs or taking leave and a myriad of other problems are more likely to be the norm rather than the exception.Many things can be done ahead of time to help with the unanticipated delays you will experience. These preproject activities may have already been listed in your proposal's action plan or you may want to reconsider your original action plan now that reality has taken over. Much of the preliminary work that does not require funds should be done in the late summer months or very early fall.If you are buying materials, project staff should be reviewing professional selection tools, consulting advisory groups or other cooperating agencies, making decisions, and talking to vendors, so that by the time your first disbursement arrives in your account, your orders should be ready to go out to the vendor. If you are working with an advisory committee, the summer is the time to be organizing the group, meeting with them, determining what role they will play, and gradually getting them involved in project activities. Advisory committees can be a great help in making a project work, but they should be involved in the very earliest stages to be of greatest value. If you are planning programs, now is the time to get specific about who, what, where and when. Find out who is available—just don’t sign anything until your contract has been returned to you. It is also the time to be gathering preproject baseline statistics to use for comparison purposes later when you will be asked to evaluate whether or not your project is meeting its objectives. Go back to objectives as written in the proposal and set up the mechanism early on for gathering the statistics needed. (If you are using circulation as a measurement factor, get baseline statistics now, since your system may not be able to provide them retroactively.) A pre-grant survey should be developed and administered early in the grant year. This survey should be followed by one towards the end of the grant year to determine any outcomes that occurred as a result of the project. Outcomes allow us to know something about the extent to which we have (or haven’t) reached our audiences. Information about outcomes allows us to strengthen our services.The early fall is also the time to be preparing other town officials so that they, and you, understand what work will be required on the project (handling funds, record keeping, paying bills, advertising for part-time positions, bidding, obtaining check/warrant numbers, etc.) and exactly who will do it. It is also the time when contracts will be signed and you and your Project Consultant will negotiate any changes to the project necessitated by the passage of time and other unforeseen things. For some programs, training sessions may be scheduled by MBLC staff to prepare you specifically for implementing your project. You will be contacted if this is the case.Chapter 6: ContractsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts wants you to read the fine print known as the Standard Contract. Your Project Consultant and the Institute of Museum and Library Services want you to read the notsofineprint known as the Agreement. Your town officials, however, probably want you to read both — twice. In both cases, you should have the contracts signed and returned to our agency as soon as possible after you receive them. Delays in getting these back from you will mean delays in our being able to disburse money to you on or near the start date of your project. Contract materials are sent to the project director, who should then forward them to the governing authority (usually the library director). For schools this may be the principal or superintendent; for academic and special libraries, the governing authority will be whoever signed your grant application. Please check back with your governing authority to make sure the contract materials have been returned to us.IMPORTANT: Project activities for which grant funds will be obligated may only take place after approval of a contract (Agreement: #8). This approval date will be noted on your Standard Contract when your copy is returned to you. Therefore, until you receive this approval date, do not obligate any grant funds.Standard Contract: This is the state's service contract. It includes some "boilerplate" that is primarily used whenever the state contracts with anyone to provide a service and needs to transfer money to do it. It's a "onesizefitsall" form and it doesn't fit a federal subgrantee very well. Its purpose is to ensure that the recipient of state money will not violate state laws and regulations and that the work specified will be performed. Your original proposal serves as the guide for the work to be performed. No funds may be disbursed to you until this contract is returned to the MBLC and approved by the Office of the Comptroller.Who should sign the contract? This may require some research on your part. It may depend on your municipality or organization. For public libraries, the person who signs the contract should be the person who is authorized by the town to receive funds. Except for private libraries, the payment will be made to the municipality’s vendorcode. So the person who signs should be the person who normally signs for that vendorcode. This might be the library director, or it might be the town treasurer or accountant. For networks or Massachusetts Library System, it should be the president. For schools, it will depend on whether the school district or regional school system has its own vendorcode. The contract must be signed in the lower left hand corner. Be sure to include an original signature date (handwritten, not typed). The contract does not ordinarily need to be signed by the chair of the trustees. If your grant is over $25,000, additional signature pages are required, and instructions are enclosed in your contract packet.Agreement: The agreement covers the requirements that must be met according to federal statute and regulation. It is very specific to the requirements of IMLS and covers all aspects of your project from handling of funds, to compliance with numerous federal laws, to procurement and reporting. It is the official documentation for most of the activities detailed in this manual and the regulations it represents are the reasons why we have to ask you to do all these things. You will want to refer to this Agreement frequently throughout the project and as you use this manual. The agreement includes an appendix that addresses certifications that are required by the federal government. Carefully, read these certifications and sign the last page.Who should sign the agreement? The agreement must be signed by both the subgrantee’s director and the chair of the governing board. For school libraries, it should be signed by the superintendent, or by the principal, and should be the same person who signed for the grant and by the library teacher. You must return to us three original, signed Standard Contracts and two of the Agreement. After approval, one of each, the contract and the agreement, will be returned to you for your records, and noted on your copy of the Standard Contract will be the official date after which you may begin to make obligations of funds. You should retain both of these documents with this manual. Several paragraphs of the Agreement should be particularly noted: Any federal funds received must be used specifically for instituting new services or supplementing present services. They may not be used to replace local funding (Agreement: #6). If any interest is earned on federal money, it must be returned to the federal government (Agreement: #11). The town may not keep it, nor can the MBLC. Since it costs the town, the state, and the federal government more to process any returned money than the amount received, we strongly encourage you to see that federal money is placed in noninterest bearing accounts. Federal money also has to be separately accounted for, and copies of paid invoices and documentation such as cancelled checks kept accessible for three years (Agreement: #12). Be sure your financial office understands this before the project even begins. Finally, any publication (book, manual, article, website, etc.) resulting from the project must: acknowledge that it does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the granting agency (Agreement: #16,); recognize both IMLS and the MBLC as funding sources (Agreement: #15,16); and be submitted to us electronically, preferably along with the Report (Agreement: #18).Indirect Costs: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) acknowledges that any grantee assumes costs when it receives a federal grant. Costs could include telephone, staff salaries and benefits used to implement the grant, office supplies, office equipment, etc. These are the indirect costs that OMB requires any grantor (the MBLC in this case) to allow a grantee to use award funds to cover. Your options for calculating and including indirect costs in your budget include:Using a current indirect cost rate already negotiated with a federal agency, by your agency or university.Using an indirect cost rate proposed to a federal agency but not year approved. Using a rate not to exceed 10% of the modified direct costs if you have never had a federally negotiated indirect cost rate and you are not subject to other requirements.Not include any indirect costs.Federally negotiated indirect costs rates are negotiated agreements between federal agencies and non-profit organizations. If your organization already has an existing negotiated indirect cost rate in effect with another federal agency, you may use this rate to calculate total project costs, as long as you apply the rate in accordance with the terms of the negotiated agreement. You may choose to charge a rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) if you have never had a federally negotiated indirect cost rate. MTCD means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, supplies, services, and travel up to the first $25,000 of the grant award. MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, rental costs, tuition reimssion, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of a grant in excess of $25,000. If you choose this rate, you need to be careful to exclude from the budget all indirect-cost-type items, such as general telephone service, postage, office supplies, etc. Muncipal libraries and schools should check with their local administration to if they have a determined indirect cost rate. NOTE: Indirect costs are part of the overall award and do not change the amount of the grant award.To recap: Your project begins October 1. To begin your project, you should send (or make sure someone has sent) to our contract specialist as soon as possible the following, all with original signatures:3 copies Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract (signed by library director or other designated signatory)2 copies Agreement (signed by library director and Governing Board Authority, i.e., trustee chair, school superintendent/principal, dean)1 copy “Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing” (signed by whoever signs the contract)1 copyIndirect Costs1 copy Disbursement Forms (SEE CHAPTER 8) (signed by library director)Mail this information to:Maryellen Osborne, Contract SpecialistMassachusetts Board of Library Commissioners98 North Washington Street, Suite 401Boston, MA 02114-1933Chapter 7: Program and Budget RevisionsEven the best of plans change, and grant action plans and budgets are no exception. Your Project Consultant has had a lot of experience with problems that have arisen that not even the most experienced Project Director could have foreseen. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with him/her when unforeseen issues arise.Everyone who has been involved in this project wants it to succeed, especially your Project Consultant, and that may require some changes in the original plan. The key here is to discuss problems with your Project Consultant before you make any decisions or obligations. It is not a reflection on you or your library when the storyteller you had lined up for the major part of your program for a very small amount of money suddenly relocates to another state and you cannot find a replacement for less than twice the cost. It happens more often than you would think.Written approval is needed from your Project Consultant for programmatic or budget changes (Agreement: #2). This means that major changes in your project from those stated in the original proposal or those agreed to at the start of your project, must be submitted in writing and approved. Programmatic changes could include such instances as being able to sponsor only four workshops instead of six due to illness of staff or physical plant problems. Or it could mean purchasing a different type of equipment than planned because something new is now available that will do the job better for less money (or maybe for more money).Budget revisions also happen for a number of reasons. Although the total amount of the grant cannot change, changes within budget categories can and often do occur. Written approval is required if the amount of money you request to move to another category is greater than 10% of the allotment for that category, or $200, whichever is larger, or if you are requesting money be moved into a category which was not originally funded. For example, this means that within Supplies/Materials you do not have to request approval to buy more streaming media than planned if you are buying fewer DVDs. However, if you have budgeted $4,000 in this line and decide to spend only $3,400 and want to buy an LCD projector instead, you are making a change in the supplies/materials budget line greater than 10% ($400). You must submit a request in writing to your consultant to make this change. A budget revision means submitting not only a completely redone budget page (all columns completed, not just LSTA) but also an accompanying note or e-mail detailing the rationale for the change(s). Then wait for approval from the Project Consultant before committing any funds. The operative words here are PRIOR APPROVAL!A blank budget page is on the next page and it is also available on the MBLC website: BudgetYear Covered: ______________BudgetDecription (Narrative)LSTACost ShareTotals1.?Salaries/wages/benefits for staff directly contributing to project activities ????a. Salaries????b. Fringe Benefits????Total Salaries/Wages/Benefits?$0.00$0.00$0.00?????2. Consultant Fees. Expenses related to acquiring the services of a consultant for the project. Costs may include fees, travel, accommodation, meals, etc.???? a. Consultant Fees???? b. Presenters/Speakers/ Performers????Total Consultant Fees? $ - $ - $ - ?????3. Travel. Expenses for travel related to the project (do not include Consultant Travel)?????????4. Expenses for comsumuable items necessary to carry out the project????a. Books/Periodicals (print)????b. Digital Media????c. DVDs/CDs/Videogames????d. Software????e. Supplies????f. Furniture????g. Hardware????h. Postage????i. Printing????j. Other????Total Expenses for Comsumable Items?$0.00$0.00$0.00?5.????? Expenses for the purchase of equipment/furniture required to carry out the projectUse this category for each piece of equipment or furniture that costs $5000 or more????????Total Expenses for purchase of Equipment?$0.00$0.00$0.00?????6.????Expenses related to the use of third-party contractors to carry out the project????a.?????? Licensing of databases????b.?????? Licensing of ebooks????c.?????? Equipment Maintenance????d.?????? Other????Total Expenses related to the use of third party contractors?$0.00$0.00$0.00?????7. Other Operating Costs????a. Indirect Costs???? b. Audit????c. Other????Total Other Operating Costs?$0.00$0.00$0.00?????TOTAL Budget?$0.00$0.00$0.00Allowable Costs There are guidelines for what can be purchased with federal money. The long version can be found in 2 CFR 200. The Code of Federal Regulations is available on line at is a quick summary of what you cannot do with LSTA funds:Buy food and beverages, or food service supplies like paper platesLobby (not even for your local budget)Do public relations or advertising for libraries services in general, although you may, and indeed are encouraged, to do public relations and advertising for specific services you have provided with LSTA funds: Not allowed: “Come to the library, it’s a great place to learn.”Allowed: “Come to the library’s information literacy program and learn how to search the databases provided with LSTA funds.” (A double winner—both the classes and the databases are paid for with LSTA funds!)Hire “entertainment” for a program that is not educational in nature or tied in with your programGive away promotional items – key chains, refrigerator magnets, T-shirts, mugsGive away booksBuy computer hardware or other equipment that accesses the Internet unless you comply with CIPA —The Child Internet Protection Act— see glossary or go to you have doubts, call your consultant. Chapter 8: Disbursement FormsYou have to ask for your funds by sending us a signed disbursement form with original signatures. The only time you should send it is when you are requesting funds. For most grants, that is usually once or twice during your project - at the beginning when you return the signed contracts to us, and possibly midway through the project. Two year projects usually request second year payments at the beginning of the federal fiscal year (October 1). In any case, send in a disbursement form only when you are requesting money. You can access the Disbursement Form on the MBLC website . You could also make multiple copies of the blank form for use later in the project year, and remember to keep a copy of the completed form for your records.PLEASE NOTE: For many grants, usually only one disbursement will be made and all funds should be requested at the start of the project. Most of the following information regarding multiple requests will therefore not apply.In some cases, the MBLC may ask you to submit requests for a disbursement. At a minimum, your first request should be for sufficient funds to complete the first half of the project through April 15. The percentage of funds needed for each project will vary so only you can decide what you need. If you are buying equipment, request money to cover this cost right away and send out equipment orders first. Remember to send the disbursement form with an original signature. Your subsequent disbursement request(s) should not be sent in if you have a large amount of Cash on Hand without an explanation. (Unless, as occasionally happens we call you up and tell you to request it!) Always keep a copy of your request (See SAMPLE 2).The following information is for two-year projects:When you applied for your grant you submitted a proposed budget, telling us how much money you needed in the first year, and how much you needed in the second. You need to request and spend all of the first year money in the first year (between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018). If your grant is large, you should probably request half the first year’s money at the beginning of the project year and half in early spring. You need to request and spend all the second year’s money in the second year (between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019). You may do this in one or two disbursements. After you've made a disbursement request, then what? We will not notify you when we have processed your request. Two to three weeks after you send it to us, you should first check with your town accountant or treasurer to see if the money has arrived. For public libraries, the money is typically sent by electronic transfer to your town’s bank. For private or regional schools or academic institutions, the funds may go instead to the institution’s bank. In some towns, if you notify the treasurer/accountant ahead of time, they will notify you when it arrives. If it doesn't arrive by the fourth week, check with the state’s VendorWeb website. If you can’t find a payment or scheduled payment on VendorWeb, contact your Project Consultant.How to use VendorWeb to see whether your money has been sent:Look at your Project Overview form or your contract for your “Vendor Code” + TIN NumberGo to: on “Login”Type in your vendor code and the last four digits of your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) If you think the payment has already been made, pick “Payment History” on the left. If you think the payment may not yet have been made, pick “Scheduled Payment”Scroll to the drop down box in the middle of the pageSelect “BLC—Board of Library Commissioners”Select a date range. For most inquiries, “60 days” is probably bestAccept the defaults for the remaining choicesClick on “search”Check to see if a payment in the amount you expected has been scheduled (if you selected “scheduled”) or made. If a payment is listed as “scheduled” you should receive it within 30 days of the scheduled date.Payments listed under payment history should be received within a few working days of the date given. Print out the results for your financial office. The transaction information should help them locate your money.Sample 2- Disbursement Form2286004000500Institution Name, Municipality FY2018 LSTA Direct Grant Program Disbursement FormVendorCode + TIN Number: MERGEFIELD Vendorcode VC600010101010 + MERGEFIELD TIN XXXXX0000 LSTA Project Number: 17.75.03Program Name: MERGEFIELD Grant_Category Science is Everywhere Total Grant Award: $ MERGEFIELD Amount_Awarded 7500 (FY18: $ MERGEFIELD M_1st_Year_Requested 7500/FY19: $ MERGEFIELD M_2nd_Year_Requested ) Part 1: Cash on HandCash Received to Date for this Project$ ___________________Grand Total Expended to Date$ ___________________Federal Cash on Hand$ ___________________Part 2: Cash RequestedCash Requested$ _________________(Round to the nearest whole dollar. No cents.)11430285750Agency Director: ______________________________________________________ SignatureDate: ________________________________________Phone: _______________________________________Email: _______________________________________MBLC Use Only: Line Item 7000-9702Consultant Approval: _____________ Date: _____________ Amount: _____________ FYEAR: __________Unit Head Approval: ________________________ Date: _________________________Send this form with original signatures to:Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners98 North Washington Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02114Attention: Mary ConsultantExpenditure Completion Date: September 30, 2018Please make additional copies of this form as needed.Disbursement Do’s:When you return your contracts, or prior to October 1st, tell your Project Consultant if you plan to request your full grant award in one disbursement or the best estimate of how much money will be requested in the first disbursement rounded to the nearest whole dollar.Notify your town treasurer or the appropriate town or institutional (for nonpublic libraries or networks, etc.) financial officer that this money will be arriving within a month after you’ve submitted your disbursement request.If you downloaded the disbursement form be sure and fill in your Vendor Code, Project number, Program title and Total Grant Award. You can find all this information on the FIRST disbursement form sent to you.Be sure to sign your forms. Unsigned forms will be returned to you and result in delayed payments.Check your math for accuracy.Use VendorWeb to find out if your payment is scheduled or has been made. All funds to municipalities are handled through electronic transfer and may be bundled with transfers for other departments. Experience tells us that if funds go astray at the town level, you are most likely to find them in the school department's account!Disbursement Don’ts:Send in a Disbursement Form if you are not requesting money. It is NOT part of the Financial Report.Send in your second disbursement request without an explanation if you have a large amount of Cash on Hand.REQUEST CENTS; round off amount requested to nearest whole dollar (.49 and under round down, .50 and above, round up).Chapter 9: Progress ReportsIt is our responsibility to monitor the progress of your project. Each project has a minimum of two reports, an Interim and an Annual, for each year of the project. The Interim Report covering six months of activities related to your LSTA grant is due on April 15. The Annual Report, covering the full project year, is due on October 15 (Agreement: #18). You may download reports at our website: will need a project number to fill out your reports. It can be found in the Project Overview form accompanying this manual as well as on your disbursement form.NOTE: Some projects are for two years and have different reporting requirements. Specific deadlines for your project can be found in Agreement: #18.Things to check and remember as you return your reports:Reports can be sent by email to amy.clayton@state.ma.us Please send digital versions of publicity and picturesFinish reports on or before due date and send to MBLC electronicallyKeep a detailed grant expenditure spreadsheet to make reporting easierBe sure to include check or warrant numbers on the financial reportALWAYS KEEP A COPY FOR YOUR FILES. Reports sometimes do get lost in the mail.Final Report: In the final report, we need to know about the entire year activities of the project. Think about activities in a very general sense. Activities can include offering programming, purchasing materials, or creating a website. How many, and what kind of, programs were offered during the entire project year? What was the attendance on the average? What was the total attendance? For whom were the programs intended? Who were the speakers/presenters? What were the topics? What is the number of materials purchased, i.e., how many books, periodical subscriptions, audiobooks, etc.?Describe the publicity for the project. How many different publicity pieces did you create or purchase? How many of them did you distribute? In what ways did you distribute them? How many kits, information packets, bookmarks, brochures, or reading lists did you create? Please send us electronic copies of publicity if possible; if not please send via regular mail.What have been the preliminary results of this project overall? Include human interest stories that may illustrate results. This is where you should provide anecdotes about the project and individual quotes regarding the project impact.The outcomes of your project are important. What outcomes were you expecting? Did you reach these outcomes? How did you measure them? Outcomes, when measurable, are the real reason for your project— in what way were people’s skills, knowledge, attitudes or behavior changed? Examples: Did people report reading to their preschoolers more often because of your early childhood project? Could seniors find online information with confidence after they took your information literacy classes? What’s most significant is what changed in people’s lives as the result of your project. And while anecdotes are great, numbers attached to solid indicators are far, far better. For example, do not say that more people than expected attended the workshop and enjoyed it. Say that 80 adults attended two or more sessions of computer literacy training, and 75 percent of those surveyed said they were now comfortable using the library’s computers to find information. Obviously, to do this, the mechanisms had to have been set up long before your report is to be written. Include any pre-project baseline data as well as post-project. If you need to find out more about outcomes measurement, see our website: a journal and following the activities and evaluation plan in your original proposal will help a great deal. Always keep in mind as you complete your report — what difference did this project make to the population it was trying to reach? Do you think you made a difference?PLEASE NOTE: Information included in your Annual Report may be reprinted or edited for use in agency publications or for dissemination to other libraries and/or agencies at the local, state or federal level.Financial Report Forms:There are two financial report forms. They should be included for any report period in which you have spent funds. They are Excel workbooks, which can be downloaded from our website. The Expenditure Report Form includes LSTA and cost share. Cost share reflects any monies that support the grant but are not LSTA dollars. The LSTA Detail Expenditure report only ask for LSTA expenditures. Refer to both your approved budget and your local accounting records to track your project expenses. Fill in the forms for each budget category, listing only expended amounts for which you have a check or warrant number and a paid invoice. For example, if you are paying a person weekly, or monthly, as part of this project, list the person's name, date of invoice, invoice number, number of hours, check or warrant number and amount of payment on the form. Always give the exact amount of the expenditure. Do not round off expenditures to the nearest dollar in your reports, even though we have had you round them in your application and disbursement requests. Salaries, Wages and Benefits: Report LSTA funds used for salaries and also show what cost share funds were used to support this project.Indirect Costs: Take indirect costs out of the first disbursement and show the amount on the first expenditure form. Indirect costs can be used to cover full-time staff who are working on this grant, general office supplies, etc.Consultant fees: You will have nothing to report in this line unless you have hired a consultant with LSTA funds. Include consultant travel fees in the category.Travel: Report travel done by staff or speakers in this category.Supplies/Materials: This is a major category. Here, report purchases of materials, hardware, software, equipment and furnishings as well as promotional materials and postage. Most equipment you purchase for this project will be under $5,000 and should be reported in hardware, software, furnishings or equipment under the supplies/materials category.Equipment: This category should only be used if you have spent $5,000 or more on one piece of equipment. Almost all reports will show no expenditure in this category.Services: This is another major category for expenditures. Presenter’s fees, licensing of electronic content, printing and other services are reported here.We do require an audit. The project can be done as part of the organization’s entire audit or it could require a single audit if your community or institution receives over $750,000 in federal funds.Other: If there is a grant expenditure that we did not cover include it here and tell us what it is.PLEASE NOTE: Grant funds may not be used to buy refreshments or to pay library employees who are already full-time staff. Staff time used for the project can be part of the indirect costs of the program. There may be occasional exceptions to the latter; talk to your project consultant about this first. Equipment: An Inventory Control form is needed for each piece of equipment with an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more and for which you will be asked to maintain records (Agreement: #12). In most cases, this will not apply to your grant, and no forms are provided.Even though there is no tracking requirement for equipment under $5,000 in value, all equipment is still to be used for the purposes of the project (Agreement: #12). All equipment, whether it costs $200 or $5000, must be movable. No built-in furniture (shelving, for example) may be purchased with LSTA funds.Orders and Invoices: We suggest you keep electronic or paper copies of invoices and store them in a notebook or file. It will make life much easier when you need to do your financial reporting. You do need to keep invoices for three years after your project. You don’t need to send us invoices!HELPFUL HINT: If you write warrant or check numbers on invoices as you submit them, you won’t have to track these down later.The LSTA Detail Expenditure Report provides the details of how you spent your LSTA funds. The detail report is for LSTA funds only.Please add lines to any category as you need. NOTE: If you have a detail of your LSTA expenditures in Excel or other software and you can sort the details of the expenditures by the main categories of this report and are able to send a report to us that separates each expenditure into one of these categories, you may be able to substitute that form for this one. Please check with your consultant if you have a question. Salaries/Wages & Benefits: Please list the name of any and all people that were paid with LSTA funds. It might be a staff person that received extra hours or someone that headed the project. If the person was paid over a course of time, we do need the details of each expense.A person receives 10 weeks of LSTA wages —we need the detail of each of those 10 weeks.Do the same for each person paid with LSTA funds and benefits if provided through LSTA. Indirect Costs: Take indirect costs out of the first disbursement and show the amount on the first expenditure form. Indirect costs can be used to cover full-time staff who are working on this grant, general office supplies, etc. Tell us the indirect cost percentage rate that you are using.Consultant’s Fee: Break down the LSTA amount shown in expenditures by Consultant fee, airfare, hotel and other if applicable. Performer and presenter fees should also be reported in this section. Travel: List anyone who received travel payment from LSTA funds.Supplies/Library Materials: Please list all invoices paid with LSTA funds. Even if you have 5 invoices from the same vendor, list them separately. Please provide a description of the expense. Include equipment that costs under $5,000 in this category, in the equipment sub-line.Equipment: Use this category only if you paid $5,000 or more for a piece of equipment or furnishings. Most grants will not have expenses in this category. Services: Service expenses include costs for contracts that you have for maintenance or service. Also include the licensing of electronic data. Example: You purchase Novelist and if you don’t renew the license annually you would lose access to the content. This is a license for use and not a purchase of data, so report the Novelist license under services.Electronic Report Forms: LSTA Report Forms in Microsoft Word and Excel format can be downloaded from the MBLC website at . We would like you to send your report to us electronically. Since the advent of the IMLS online reporting system, your consultant will probably be uploading parts of it directly into the LSTA report. You may send the report as an e-mail attachment(s), to amy.clayton@state.ma.us . Please put your library name and your project name in the subject line of the message and in the attachment filename (i.e., AnytownPL CustomerService). A Final Word on Reports:Why report? It is important to find out whether or not the project met its objectives and to have information about your project to disseminate to others who may be considering similar projects or who will be evaluating similar projects. In our cost-conscious world, funders (other agencies, foundations, Friends) want to know about return on value. Transparency is important. IMLS maintains a database of projects and the summary of your project will be available for everyone to see. Details about your project will also be available. Each year, the MBLC alerts IMLS to exemplary projects. Each year, IMLS highlights two projects on the Massachusetts Grants to States website. Sample 3- Expenditure Report FormLibrary Name: Date:Project Title:Project Director: Email:Project ExpendituresLine ItemsLSTACost Share*TotalsIndirect Costs????Subtotal$0.00 ?$0.00 ?????Salaries, Wages & BenefitsSalaries???Fringe Benefits???Subtotal$0.00$0.00$0.00?????Consultant FeesConsultant Fee???Presenters/Speakers/Performers???Subtotal$0.00$0.00$0.00?????Travel ????Subtotal$0.00$0.00$0.00?????Supplies/ MaterialsMaterials???Supplies???Hardware???Applications Software???Furnishings???Equipment (under $5000)???Postage???Promotional Materials???Other???Subtotal$0.00$0.00$0.00?????Equipment (only list equipment over $5000)????Subtotal$0.00$0.00$0.00?????ServicesPrinting???Equipment Maintenance???Telephone???Licensing of Electronic Content??? ???Subtotal$0.00$0.00$0.00?????Audit (Required)????Other (Identify)?????????Grand Total(Add Subtotals)$0.00$0.00$0.00*Cost Share are all expenses covered by the local library through their budget, donations, library Friends, etc.Sample 4- LSTA Expenditure DetailLibrary Name?Date??Project Director?Email address??Indirect CostsIndirect PercentageLSTA Amount???Indirect Costs???????????Salaries/ WagesNameLSTA amountDescriptionCheck or Warrant AmountDate of InvoiceSalaries??????????????????????Fringe Benefits?????????????????Consultant FeesNameLSTA AmountDescriptionCheck or Warrant NumberDate of InvoiceConsultant Fee ?????Hotel?????Airfare?????Performers?????Presenters?????Other?????TravelVendor NameLSTA AmountDescriptionCheck or Warrant NumberDate of Invoice??????????????????Supplies/ Library MaterialsVendor NameLSTA AmountDescription Check or Warrant NumbersDate of InvoiceBooks/Periodicals (print)?????????????????Electronic Media?????????????????Databases?????????????????DVDs & CDs?????????????????Supplies????????????????Hardware????????????????Applications Software?????????????????Furnishings????????????????Equipment (under $5,000)?????????????????????????????Promotional Materials?????????????????Other (Identify)???????Equipment (only list equipment over $5,000)Vendor NameLSTA AmountDescriptionCheck or Warrant NumberDate of Invoice?????????????ServicesVendor NameLSTA AmountDescriptionCheck or Warrant NumberDate of InvoicePrinting????????????????Equipment Maintenance??????????Telephone?????Licensing of Electronic Content?????AuditVendor NameLSTA AmountDescriptionCheck or Warrant NumberDate of Invoice??????OtherVendor NameLSTA AmountDescriptionCheck or Warrant NumberDate of Invoice?????? Chapter 10: EvaluationYou may be finished with the grant year but the project should be ongoing and its impact is still important. All grantees should do a pre-grant survey to gather baseline data on outcomes expected to happen through this project. Grantees should also do a survey close to the end of the grant to see if there was a change in skills, knowledge, or statistics. It's not always fair to evaluate a project immediately upon its completion, since many of the materials and even some of the programs have not had a chance to have impact in the relatively short time they've been available. Experience has shown that many components of a project are not fully in place and usable until relatively late in the project year. We realize that the outcomes you reported in October may have been immediate, rather than long term, and that you may know more about the impact of your project later.Evaluation is a key component of any project. Initially, you want to comment on the current state of the project, how it has been integrated into the library's overall plan of service, and the difference it has made in your community. Have there been any additional outcomes, expected or unexpected. What went right? What went wrong? What would you do if you could do it over again? Did you underestimate or overestimate the amount of time it took to do the project? The amount of money needed? We hope that you revisit your project after the grant is completed and will let us know your thoughts as you integrate the project into library services. After six months is a good time to revisit the project to see if it really did what you expected. Is it still making a difference for the community? Do you have stories to tell about it? Does the project have the staying power to become part of the library’s services?Chapter 11: AuditsIf your town, institution or network receives more than $750,000 in federal funds from ALL sources, not just LSTA and not just at the library, then an audit of your grant funds that meets the requirements of OMB Circular A-133 is required. According to the SINGLE AUDIT ACT AMENDMENTS of 1996 (P.L. 104-156), external or internal audits must be made in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGA) issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, which are applicable to federal audits. Your town's regular annual or biannual audit should meet the requirements (Agreement: #14). Talk with your town treasurer to be sure. It is necessary to have audits done for the entire period of disbursements and expenditures. You might spend one-half of the funds in one fiscal year and the remainder in a second fiscal year. You need to be sure that both audit years are sent to the MBLC.A reminder letter about your audit being due will be sent to you in the June following the completion year of your project. However, it is not due to us until thirty days after the audit is completed by your city/town. Please send one copy. For private nonprofit organizations, you may need to hire someone to complete an audit. Audits of nonprofit organizations must also be in compliance with 2 CFR 200.In order to comply with the audit requirement, you may choose one of the following two options:send one (1) copy of the entire audit report; send one (1) copy of the audit cover letter, the entire audit findings, and the section of the audit pertaining to your LSTA grant (i.e. the Federal Financial Assistance portions).If you select option #1 above, be sure that it is the entire report. Often the Federal Financial Assistance portion of the audit is bound separately but it is essential we receive that part.Your auditor may ask for the program's Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance or CFDA Number. The CFDA # for LSTA is 45.310.Chapter 12: PublicityAlthough we’ve left publicity for last, publicity should happen before, during and after all of your project activities. You may have the best project in the universe, but if no one knows about it, you have wasted your time and much federal money!As a grant recipient, you are required to acknowledge the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the MBLC in your announcements, printed materials and at project public events. Some sample materials and recommended wording are provided below. You can also use the IMLS press kit, which includes downloadable logos, at . Whatever you use, be sure to make an acknowledgement. Be in touch with your project consultant if you are in doubt. Keep your publicity and please send us electronic copies of the publicity you do with your reports. Don’t forget that digital photos are a great way to document the happenings of your project. Please e-mail some to us at the MBLC so we can keep them on hand-we may use them and occasionally we need to supply photos to IMLS on short notice. Please include identification of the subjects and the IMLS release form which can be found at Why are attribution and acknowledgement important?As we said at the beginning of our manual, LSTA is federal legislation that must be reauthorized every five years and appropriated every year. The more people who know about the wonderful things these funds can do for libraries and communities, the better. It’s not good to be invisible at funding time, and IMLS and the MBLC need your help in getting the word out.Sample Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: (Name)(Date)(Title)(Telephone)(Email)(INSERT LIBRARY/SCHOOL NAME) was recently awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant for (INSERT Amount) from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). “These libraries are to be congratulated. It's clear from the high quality of their proposals that a lot of hard work and careful analysis of local needs went into the preparation of the grants," said Ruth Urell, Head of Library Advisory and Development at the MBLC. "The ideas and creativity expressed in these exciting and innovative projects will lead to outstanding results that benefit local communities throughout Massachusetts." (INSERT LIBRARY/SCHOOL NAME) plans to (INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT LOCAL PROJECT)Libraries use LSTA grants from the MBLC in a variety of ways, including implementing literacy programs that benefit all ages, increasing library access to underserved populations, providing advanced automation services, training staff, and preserving valuable historical documents.In addition to the direct library grant program, the MBLC uses LSTA funds to support statewide programs and services, including summer reading programs, databases, the Commonwealth eBook program, the Commonwealth Catalog, and libraries, which provides information and resources for residents.LSTA is administered on the federal level by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in the Commonwealth by the MBLC. More information about LSTA can found at for IMLS AcknowledgementGrant recipients should adhere to the IMLS acknowledgement requirements (Agreement #15, 16) with additional information at . Recipients should also acknowledge the MBLC in the credit line.Sample Credit Lines: “Anytown Story time is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.”For an author appearance: “John Milton’s appearance is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.The Institute of Museum and Library Services requires public acknowledgement of the activities it supports. The Institute has a logo and tag line that should be used in acknowledging IMLS support. The guidelines for crediting the Institute are described below. You should use social media, newspaper articles, op-ed pieces, radio interviews, and other media activities to extend the impact of your effort. IMLS support should be mentioned in media activities related to your award. If you have any questions regarding the forms of acknowledgment, contact your project consultant, who may refer you to the IMLS Office of Communications at 202-653-4757. Publicity Campaigns:The IMLS Office of Communications must be notified of media and outreach efforts involving activities supported by IMLS awards. Contact IMLS to discuss proper acknowledgment of funding and please provide samples of publications, advertisements, press kits and press releases created as part of this outreach. Use of the IMLS Logo:Logos are available within the press kit in the “IMLS Logos” folder. The logo may be used in a variety of ways: on websites, multimedia materials, annual reports, newsletters, posters, news releases and press kits, educational materials, signage, banners, invitations to events, and even on your stationery. Please review the Logo Standards Guide before using the logo. MBLC requirements: The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners should be included in the credit line, as stated aboveThe Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has branding guidelines as does IMLS. You can find the MBLC guidelines at notify MBLC’s Communications Director when posting project information on social media and when the project receives media attentionSample brochures and publications should be emailed to the MBLC Communications Director for inclusion on the MBLC NewsroomUpload your pictures, quotes, videos and patron reactions to the LSTA tumblr account masslsta.. If you are uploading pictures and/ or videos, be sure that you have a photo release. LSTA requires that you keep documentation for 3 year. Guidelines for Activities Supported by IMLSPUBLIC EVENTS: At programs or public gatherings related to you award, acknowledge IMLS verbally. Display the logo on signage at events.PRESS EVENTS: At press conferences, acknowledge IMLS orally. Acknowledge IMLS on press kits and in press releases.PRINTED MATERIALS: Acknowledge IMLS as follows: For posters, use a size for which the words “Institute of Museum and Library Services” are legible from a distance. For press kits and press releases, annual reports, newsletters, etc., the logo should be legible and no smaller than 1.75” wide.WEBSITES: Acknowledge IMLS on your website.ALSO FROM IMLS: Tips for Sharing Your News with the PublicYour grant is an achievement that you should share with your community. Here are some ideas for basic publicity that can help extend the news of your award, build goodwill with your key stakeholders, and educate the public about your value to the community.Interacting with News MediaDevelop a distribution list in advance. To reach the broadest audience, your list should include local newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and wire services, such as the Associated Press. Are there reporters who regularly cover your activities? Address the release to the features editor or education editor at the newspaper and to the assignment editor at television or radio stations. If you do not know who these editors are, search the media outlet on the Internet to determine who the contact is. You may need to search on their name or call the outlet for contact information.?National Public Radio’s website?has a search tool that helps you find local NPR affiliates and?NewsLink contains a list of print media as well as TV and radio stations by state and category. Your distribution list should include online media and blog posts, local newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and news and wire services.Prepare a News Release. The basic way of communicating with news media about your IMLS grant is with a news release. An effective release provides the “who, what, when, and where” of your news announcement and contact information for someone at your museum or library who can provide additional information. You may also include a quote from the IMLS director and statistics about the number of applicants to the IMLS grant.One strategy for getting attention for your release is to tie your announcement to a relevant event or to a current news issue. Is your institution planning a community day, a major announcement, or an anniversary commemoration? Is there an upcoming community-wide arts or humanities week? If you can link your announcement with other activities or events, you increase the chances of capturing media attention. Similarly, you can package your story in the context of other local or national issues by including a quote that ties your grant award to the larger issue.Issue your release. Email the release to your distribution list, sending to one person at each outlet at a time. Do not copy others on your email, and be sure to include a personal note above the release that shows the recipient you know they cover this type of news. Remember timing. There are a variety of factors that determine whether your story will receive coverage. If there is an urgent news event, hold your release for a quieter news day. The time of day and day of the week are also factors to consider. Remember that morning is often the best time for television, and avoid releasing news on a Friday afternoon or over the weekend. Likewise, Monday mornings can be crowded with big news that was not covered over the weekend. Some papers and TV stations require a few weeks’ notice to prep the piece for publication or air time, so give them as much advance notice as possible, if there is a date-specific event you are tying it to.Pitch the story. Follow up your release by emailing key media contacts to confirm their receipt and to pitch your story. Present the facts quickly and emphasize why this would interest readers or viewers. If there is interest and relevance, you might offer to set up an interview with the director or a behind-the-scenes tour of your facility. The most important part of an email pitch is the subject line. It is being reviewed along with hundreds of others in the course of a day, so yours must stand out. Think in terms of why someone in your community would care about this news – what’s it to them? If you are offering VIPs and dignitaries for interviews, have their contact info ready to go and make sure they have the heads up and are willing to take the interview.Social MediaSocial media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, You Tube, and Instagram, are powerful tools for sharing news of your institution with a potentially large number of people and engaging them in an interactive way. Using social media can be economical; the sites require only an email address to establish your presence. To maintain them, however, requires an investment of time because visitors expect content that is timely and new.If you already have social media presence on at least one platform, use it (or all the ones you have) to amplify your news to a broader audience. IMLS will be sharing your award on our social media platforms – and you should comment on and share our posts, as well as create your own native content and share it yourself. Be sure to let key groups in your community know about the news so they will like and share it to their followers too! Pictures are worth 1,000 words, so use pictures as much as possible, and since video is so easy to generate now with just a smart phone, consider doing a quick, one-minute video to announce the grant and thank everyone involved or talk about how it will be applied.?TwitterGreat news! [your institution’s name that received a grant]?just received an @US_IMLS grant! [insert link to the IMLS press release listing your grant award] #IMLSGrant?[attach the social media badge][Your institution’s name that received a grant]?is excited to announce that we received a grant from @US_IMLS! [insert link to the IMLS press release listing your grant award]? [attach the social media badge] #IMLSGrant??FacebookFacebook fans, I am excited to announce that [your institution’s name] received a grant from @USIMLS! We are looking forward to [briefly explain what your grant will be used for]. [Insert link to the IMLS press release listing your grant award]?#IMLSGrant [attach the social media badge]We have great news! [Institution that received the grant] just found out that we received a grant from @USIMLS to [explain what your grant will be used for]. Read more: [Insert link to the IMLS press release listing your grant award]?#IMLSGrant [attach the social media badge]?Instagram[Institution that received the grant] just received a grant from the @US_IMLS! [Attach the social media badge] #IMLSGrantSo excited to announce that [your organization's name or I] was awarded a grant from @US_IMLS! #IMLSGrant [Attach the social media badge]Social Media BadgesSince images are so powerful in gaining traction on social media, we advise you develop a social media badge. Badges are rich media mixed with text that help illustrate the information you are trying to express. IMLS will provide a social media badge if you plan to post on social media when you announce to the public you have received the grant from us.Create/Find Your Own ImagesYou can create your own badges on a free website like?Canva,?ReadyMag, and?PicMonkey.You can get free images from?UnSplash,?Flickr’s Creative Commons Page, the?Library of Congress, and?WikiMedia Commons. All of these websites explain how you must credit and how you may use the images.Stakeholder OutreachIn addition to using traditional media and social media, your stakeholders – the many groups on whom your success depends – can help get the word out. The more you can share your grant with different audiences, the more that people understand the role and the importance of libraries.Every grantee will have different groups and organizations that are stakeholders in their grant. Before you even applied for this grant, you probably already thought about groups in your community that would benefit from your grant or be interested in it. Here is a sample list of contacts to consider:local schoolsmuseumscity councilnearby library systemsafter school programsthe tourism boardconvention centerchamber of commerceprofessional society newsletterscommunity calendar listingsChapter 13: A Final WordAs you complete your project, you should feel a sense of accomplishment that all the work has been worthwhile and the results have served to improve services to the population it was meant to reach. Many successful programs currently in our libraries started in much the same way and continue to provide meaningful services. Congratulations on joining that group of individuals and may yours continue to be a valuable service to your community for many years to come.The Ten Commandments of Project DirectingSpend ALL your money, every last penny. Spend it in time to be invoiced and paid out by the end of the project year as well as in time to carry out the project activities that relate to your purchases. Start on time and this will be easier.If you have a two year project, spend all the first year’s money in the first year.Don’t buy food.Keep within 10% of your budget in each category. If you have to vary a category more than this, or if you are spending money in a category not originally planned, notify your project consultant in advance, before you submit the invoice to your town financial office.Don’t pay staff, who are already working full-time hours, or for hours they are regularly scheduled to work. Instead, use indirect costs to account for their time.Do round off numbers in your budget page. Don’t round off numbers on your financial report.Call your consultant as soon as you’ve identified a problem. He or she has lots of experience with problems.Do record baseline data for comparison at the beginning of your project before it “gets away”.Submit reports by April 15 and October 15. Read your whole manual. Make your project fun.GlossaryAgreement: Contract with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners in accordance with federal statutes and regulations; addresses all aspects of project from handling funds to compliance; accompanies a standard state service contract.Audit: Any town or network that receives more than $750,000 total in federal funds from all sources is required to have an audit that meets the requirements of federal 2 CFR 200. For more information, see: of Federal Domestic Assistance Number CFDA#– 45.310.- See: : The Children’s’ Internet Protection Act went into effect on April 20, 2001. This law places restrictions on certain uses of funding under the Library Services and Technology Act, Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and on the Universal Service discount program known as the E-rate (Public Law 106-554). CIPA requires both an Internet Safety Policy and technology which blocks or filters certain material from being accessed through the Internet. The U.S Supreme Court re-instated the Internet filtering requirement for public libraries in June, 2003. IMLS has determined that grants to public libraries must now either meet these requirements, if the library intends to purchase devices to access the Internet with their LSTA grant funds. For more information on CIPA, see Disbursement Form: Form for requesting funds. Most grantees will want to do one disbursement form for the entire amount. If a project is slow to start or a project manager changes, a grantee may ask for a portion of the grant when the contract is signed and the remainder in the spring. Grantees should work with your consultant to determine how they should request funds. Encumbrance: An encumbrance has been made when you have ordered materials or promised to pay for a program or service, even if delivery has not yet occurred. Expenditure: An expenditure has been made if a) you have ordered materials or promised to pay for a program or service, b) delivery has been made or the event has occurred, c) you have been invoiced, and d) you have paid for the materials, program or service. The date the check was cut or the warrant was issued will be the date of the expenditure. An invoice number and a check number or a warrant number can be provided for verification of the expenditure. All expenditures must be completed by September 30th of the project year.Grantee: Direct recipient of grant money from IMLS -in this manual, the MBLCIMLS: The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. LSTA: The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) is the only federal program exclusively for libraries. It is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). State libraries use the funds to support statewide initiatives and also distribute the funds through subgrants or cooperative agreements to public, school, academic, research, and special libraries. There is a requirement for a state match, which helps stimulate approximately three to four dollars for every federal dollar invested. Outputs: products and services your project provides Outcome: the benefit your project has on people - changes in their skills, attitude, knowledge, and behavior or life condition. See : information on project status due April 15 and October 15 of each year of the project. Each report includes written report and a project expenditure form.Standard Contract: Commonwealth of Massachusetts basic service contract templateSubgrantee: Recipient of LSTA grant award from the MBLC (your library)Timeline: Due dates for narrative and financial reports. For easy reference, you should make a timeline of your project activities. Don’t forget to include the report due dates! VendorWeb: Commonwealth of Massachusetts VendorWeb is a secure website from which subgrantees can access details about their payments from the Commonwealth, such as payment number, payment date, contract number and payment line amount: You need to know your vendor code (the number in the upper left hand box of your Standard Contract Form) in order to access your town’s records. More detailed directions can be found in the section on the “standard service contract” in Chapter 6.Index______________________________AAbsence from the project · 5Acknowledging IMLS & MBLC · 12, 33-36Agreement ·3, 7, 11-12, 41 who signs · 12Allowable costs · 17Annual Report · 5, 7, 22-24Attribution · 33Audit · 5-6, 24, 32, 41Award letter · 8 sample · 9______________________________BBaseline statistics · 10, 23, 40Board of Library Commissioners · 4Budget categories, changes to · 14______________________________CCatalog of Federal Domestic Assistance · See CFDA numberCFDA number · 6, 32, 41Children's Internet Protection Act · 17, 41CIPA · See Children's Internet Protection ActConsultant · See project consultant·Contract · 11-13 who signs · 11______________________________DDisbursement · 18, 21, 23, 25, 32, 41 sample · 20Due dates · 7______________________________EElectronic report form · 25Encumbrance · 41Evaluation · 23, 31Expenditure · 23-25, 41______________________________FFinal report · 22Financial expenditure report · 23-24 sample · 26-27Food · 17, 40______________________________GGlossary · 41-42Grantee · 4, 41______________________________IIndirect costs · 12-13, 23, 24, 25, 40IMLS· 4, 41Interest earned · 6Interim Report · 22Invoices, how long to keep· 12______________________________LLibrary Director · 5Library Services and Technology Act· 3, 42LSTA · See Library Services and Technology ActLSTA Detail Expenditure Report · 23, 24-25 sample · 28-30_______________________________OOutcomes · 22-23, 31, 42Outputs · 42______________________________PPayments, tracking · 18-19, 21Pre-project activities · 10Press release · 35, 36 sample · 34Progress report · 22-23, 25Project budget sample · 15-16Project consultant · 4-5Project director· 5-6Public relations · 17Publicity · 22, 33, 35, 36-39______________________________RRefreshments · 24Reports · 22-25, 42 due dates · 7Revisions · 14______________________________SSACL · See State Advisory Council on LibrariesStaff, payment of · 23, 24, 25Standard Contract · 42State Advisory Council on Libraries · 4Subgrantee · 5, 42Supplies · 23-24, 25______________________________TTen Commandments · 40Timeline · 7, 42Travel · 23, 25______________________________VVendor code · 11VendorWeb · 18, 19, 42 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download