Points for Library Service - March 22, 2007 Meeting

The Points for Library Service subcommittee recommends establishing the Points for Library Service component of the State Aid to Public Libraries program. Libraries would earn points and monetary awards by exceeding the minimum requirements of the State Aid program. Municipalities would be required to be certified/meet all minimum requirements in order to qualify for this component of the State Aid program.

Points would be earned for most measures by exceeding the peer group, EQV-qualified median per capita levels. Points would be earned for the other measures if libraries meet or exceed the measure. Measurement would be based on cross-tabulated tables of population groupings and EQV per capita groupings for each measure. Medians would be calculated each year for the program two years in the future. The measures would not be weighted.

MEASURES:

(Peer Group Medians)

1. Direct Circulation
2. Expenditures on print materials
3. Expenditures on non-print materials
4. Expenditures on technology for library patrons
5. Annual duplicated hours open (includes branch and bookmobile hours)
6. Number of programs
7. Program attendance
8. MLS FTE
9. Public access Internet computers
10. Number of staff development hours


(Yes/No)

11. Meet or exceed the recommended MLA minimum salary for entry level MLS librarians
12. Director/CLO with MLS when not required by minimum standards
13. Resource Net Lender
14. Long range plan that meets LSTA requirements
15. Tuitiion support staff studying for MLS


(The following yes/no items would need requirements/standards to be developed before they could be implemented)

16. Technology Plan
17. Disaster Plan
18. Recruitment/Retention plan for staff from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups
19. Staff proficient in language (including ASL) other than English spoken/used by area residents


Once the total number of points earned by all libraries is determined, the total amount available for this program would be divided by the total points earned and a per-point award amount would be calculated.

Issues to be addressed:

1. Lack of peers for libraries in top population group - use national peers (population and income)
2. Would distribution of funds use equalization factor?
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