|
Montana State Library will have banners on programs and services that are supported by The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The language on the banners will state "this program is made possible by federal funds from The Institute of Museum and Library Services with additional state and local support. Discover how federal grants enhance Montana's libraries:
Federal Library Funds at Work "
You will find these banners starting May 1st. They will be visible on The Montana Shared Catalog, MontanaLibrary2Go/Libby, State Publications web and text archives, our research resources page, Montana State Library's WorldCat OCLC page, and relevant data dashboards.
If you would like to update your OCLC banner for your library, please do so here:
Customize your own OCLC Banner
The Montana State Library has not received official notification of acceptance or denial of the grant request for continuing the Hotspot Program through the Montana State Library. The grant is still labeled as "under review", but the Notice of Funding Opportunity deadline date has passed. We are moving forward with transitioning the program to a local level for those who wish to continue. If there is a change in official grant status, approval or denial, that information will be released immediately.
**Since we have not been denied- please hold onto your devices in case funding becomes available in the future.
, even if you will not continue the program. This Survey will allow programs to transition at a local level as smoothly and seamlessly as we can, while keeping it a more affordable option for our libraries. Please complete this survey so individual accounts can be built by providers. We apologize for a little bit of a delay. We have been working closely with the providers to make sure we can transition and have all the pieces in place to do so (no starting from scratch!).
Please complete survey as soon as possible. Deadline: May 30th.
**Please work with Montana State Library for transition. If you go directly to the provider, we cannot promise that you will receive the same cost or be able to keep your current devices.
Survey Link:
The Public Library Standards report opens May 1. Public and accredited tribal college libraries must submit their Public Library Standards to receive state aid and/or federation funding. Responses for each standard are documented in the following report and are due no later than July 25.
For each standard, you will select "yes" or "no" to certify whether or not your library met the standard. Each "no" response will prompt you to answer the following questions:
- Why were you unable to meet this standard? How was this standard a hardship for your library?
- How will you meet the standard in the future? If the standard requires a multi-year solution, what will you do in each year to comply with the standard?
- Who will be responsible for activities listed above?
- What date will your library meet the standard?
Once you have responded to all standards, please use the lock button to notify your library consultant that the report is certified and ready for review. You can access the , , and on the MSL website. We also to help you navigate the report.
Please let me or your library consultant know if you have any questions about accessing Counting Opinions, LibPAS, or responding to the Public Library Standards report.
The Federation Grant Report is now open for the grant you received in November based on your Federation's FY2025 Plan of Service. If you haven't spent your grant yet, do not worry! This report will be open through August 15. To enter your expenses, please login at Counting Opinions. Once you've logged into the portal, click "Respond to the Federation Grants Report" on the middle blue tile.
Please let Rebekah Kamp, Montana State Library's data coordinator, know if you have any questions about accessing Counting Opinions or responding to the Federation Grant Report. You can send her a message via the (select the support team, Library Research & Evaluation).
The MontanaLibrary2Go Membership Meeting took place on April 17th, 2025.
Membership voted for a 10% increase from FY25 for content purchasing for FY26, with the caveat that if there is a need/change in funding that requires libraries to cover the hosting/licensing fee of Overdrive, that those funds would be pulled out of the 10% increase for content purchasing. Invoices will be sent out on July 1st, 2025. If you need an invoice to be paid prior to that date please put in a ticket.
Membership also voted to pass the updated Collection Development Policy, which can be found in the links below. We will notify libraries if there becomes any digital options available to the policy.
We have put together the meeting minutes for our latest MontanaLibrary2Go Spring Membership meeting. This and other meeting items can be found attached to the event entry on ASPeN.
Additionally, updates have been made to the general MTLibrary2Go webpage on msl.mt.gov that includes updated information, documents, and policies for the Montana Library2Go Program.
Montana's wildfire smoke seasons are getting longer and more pervasive. Learn about the health risks of wildfire smoke, why indoor air can be more unhealthy than outdoor air and how to protect your home if there are fires in your area.
Speaker Bio: Mary Anderson served as a school counselor for over thirty years. When she retired she found that although she left public education, the educator in her was still alive and well. As wildfire smoke coordinator, she works with emergency responders, health departments, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality and several non-government organizations to develop educational materials and a response network that is as aware of the dangers of wildfire smoke as the dangers of wildfires themselves.
Register to attend <> If your library is interested in becoming a cohost for this program and you would like printable posters, bookmarks and a social media invitation please contact
 |
|
It is nearly time for the annual Montana History Portal Meme Contest. Click the link above to access the contest page and to learn how to submit your meme. This contest is for all people ages 10 and up. Put on your thinking cap and start generating memes to enter!
HOW TO WIN!
DEADLINE: Submit your entry by Thursday, May 15, 2025.
FINALISTS SELECTION: Library staff members will review entries and publish the finalists.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the finalists’ entries will be posted to a collection on the Portal site and opened for voting.
VOTING: The voting period will run from Friday, May 16 – Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (MST). The winning memes will be the top two entries in each age group with the most “likes” at the time the voting period ends. Voting is open to all.
|
|
