Update on FFY25 Grants to States Funding & State Library Priorities
Dear Library Directors,
While I am still awaiting further information and guidance from IMLS regarding the status of our FFY25 Grants to States award, I wanted to share some context on the considerations we’ve been working through in the meantime.
First, some background: The IMLS Grants to States program allows funds to be spent over a two-year cycle. These funds are distributed as reimbursements, and the State Library does not receive the funds up front at the start of the cycle. Historically, we have spent the majority of these funds in the second year of the cycle. However, due to rising costs in recent years, we began drawing on the award during the first year of the cycle.
Looking ahead, our focus is on improving the long-term sustainability of federally funded State Library programs and resources. As we assess what we can realistically maintain, we will be prioritizing:
- Programs and resources that provide the greatest value to Iowa libraries and residents.
- Services that deliver broad statewide impact and would be difficult for individual libraries to obtain independently.
We are closely examining both cost and usage data, along with feedback gathered from the past two years of State Library Programs & Resources surveys (sent to library directors and staff in July 2023 and 2024).
I know questions remain about the specific impacts on State Library programs and resources. At this time, I can share what we’ve identified to be the top priorities for preservation, which include:
- Federally-funded State Library staff
- SILO services (including the SILO ILL System, Iowa Locator, PLOW websites, Iowa Library Directory, Library Talk, and technical support for the following State Library resources: State Data Center; People’s Law Library; Iowa Publications Online; and Iowa Heritage Digital Collections)
- IA Shares statewide delivery service at a minimum of one-day per week
- Bridges consortium management and platform fee
While we recognize the importance of all the programs and resources funded by the Grants to States award, the items listed above will be our primary focus that we will work to sustain.
Additionally, I know some of you have asked about the potential costs to individual libraries for vendor-contracted resources currently provided by the State Library. Since these are negotiated for statewide access, we do not have itemized individual library costs, and any division of the total statewide amount would not accurately reflect potential pricing for individual libraries.
I hope to have more information to share with you soon. As I mentioned in the April Director Digest, I appreciate your continued patience and understanding during this time.
Sincerely,
Brenda Hall
Interim State Librarian
|
