Some of the confusion you are experiencing is because the method of deriving your requirement changed a few years back. After a regulatory hearing with the library community, the regulation changed.
Method to calculate the number of dollars that your library needs to expend on library materials for your patrons to use:
At the beginning of the fiscal year take the total appropriation to your library from your town and multiply it by the percentage that your library (based on the municipality’s population) must expend by June 30.
total municipal appropriation to library x percent requirement = dollars to spend on library materials
$ x % = $
The dollars are expended from the library’s total operating budget. This means any source of income to the library’s operating budget.
Any questions should be directed to Dianne Carty (dianne.carty@state.ma.us) or Ned Richards (ned.richards@state.ma.us) at the Board of Library Commissioners. 617-725-1860 or in-state 1-800-952-7403.
This post was written by dcarty on September 21, 2011
Posted under Materials Expenditure Requirement, State Aid to Public Libraries
