Massachusetts Public Library Trustees Handbook
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Chapter 7. Budgeting and Financial Management |  |
The most consistent sources of state funds for public libraries are cherry sheet awards administered through the State Aid to Public Libraries program. This list of estimated payments which a community may expect from the Commonwealth during the following fiscal year is sent in the spring to each town accountant by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services.
The Board of Library Commissioners administers the State Aid to Public Libraries program, which annually awards municipalities whose public libraries annually meet statutory and regulatory requirements. The three awards are:
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Library Incentive Grant
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Municipal Equalization Grant
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Nonresident Circulation Offset
These awards shall be expended by the library without appropriation, and shall be held in a separate municipal account for use by the library only.
In order to be certified for State Aid to Public Libraries awards, a municipality must maintain a minimum level of funding for its library services. This is called the Municipal Appropriation Requirement. The Municipal Appropriation Requirement stipulates that the community must appropriate an amount for operating the library that is equal to the average it has appropriated for the last three years plus a two and one half percent increase of that average. Compliance with the Municipal Appropriation Requirement is measured on the library's appropriation for the year in which the application is being made.
In addition to meeting the Municipal Appropriation Requirement in the current year, a municipality must have complied with certain minimum regulatory standards during the prior year. They are:
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Be open to all residents in the commonwealth.
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Make no charge for normal library services.
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Be kept open a minimum number of hours per week (based on population size).
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Employ trained library personnel (based on population size).
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Expend a reasonable portion of the library's total budget on library materials (based on population size).
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Lend books to other [certified] libraries in the commonwealth and extend privileges to holders of cards issued by other [certified] public libraries in the commonwealth on a reciprocal basis.
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Submit an annual report.
Applications are made annually to the MBLC. The application consists of the Annual Report Information Survey (ARIS), due in September, and the State Aid to Public Libraries Compliance Form and Financial Form, both due in October.
In addition to the above mentioned requirements, each library director must apply for and receive state certification: either a certificate of professional librarianship, or a certificate of subprofessional librarianship, depending upon qualifications.
Trustees should be familiar with the laws and regulations (See Appendices C and D for summaries) which pertain to the minimum standards for certification for State Aid to Public Libraries. In order to qualify for all other grants which are administered by the Board of Library Commissioners, a library must be certified to receive State Aid to Public Libraries . Therefore, it is of great importance that all trustees understand the basic requirements of the program. For specific questions regarding the State Aid program, call the State Aid & Data Coordination unit of the MBLC. Current regulations and policies can be viewed on the MLIN web site at http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us.
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| Sources of Library Funding |  |
Federal Funds |