Commissioner Edward L. Bertorelli of Milford, Massachusetts, has been appointed by President George W. Bush, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be a member of the United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. For the full story, please visit: http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/mblc/publications/newsrel/nr040127.shtml.
FY2005 Policies for State Aid Approved:
The Board of Library Commissioners approved the policies for the FY2005 State Aid to Public Libraries program at their January 15th meeting.
The policies are on the agency website at the following url: http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/mblc/sadac/state_aid_index.shtml
Emergency Assistance Program:
Please be aware of the MBLC's Emergency Assistance Program for institutions in Massachusetts. Brochures were distributed a couple of years ago and another set is due to go out soon. You might want to check out the brochure and checklist that are posted on MLIN: http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/mblc/ldev/eap_index.shtml. This will allow you to access the brochures that describe the program, the emergency checklist, and a list of Disaster-related Web sites.
Construction Grants Awarded to 21 Massachusetts Libraries:
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) was pleased to announce that it has awarded Provisional General Construction Grants totaling $38,249,194 to 21 public libraries across the Commonwealth from the 2000-2001 Grant Round. The Board set May 15, 2005 as the date by which municipalities must accept their awards. Funding for these projects was authorized in August of 2002 in an omnibus bond bill (S2271) that allowed for the expenditure of up to $75 million for public library construction. The Romney Administration has committed funds in its five-year capital plan for these projects.
Applications for General Project awards are evaluated and rated by a panel of independent reviewers. The evaluative criteria include a detailed needs analysis, long-range planning of library services, community involvement, written library building program statement, and critique of the building design in relation to service priorities. To be eligible, applicant libraries must be certified by the MBLC as meeting minimum state standards for public library service, as well as meet the needs of the community for 20 years.
Since the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program was first funded in 1990, a total of $246 million has been awarded to public libraries in 213 cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth. The grants help fund construction of new library buildings, addition/ renovations, special projects and the preliminary planning activities essential to building projects. With this most recent announcement, 249 grants have been awarded: 51 for planning and design and 198 for construction, addition/renovation or special projects. Funding for a construction/renovation project is based on eligible costs and awarded on a sliding scale. The state share ranges from 35 percent of a larger project to 60 percent of projects under $1.2 million.
The projects in the Northeast include:
Amesbury Public Library: $2,494,352
Georgetown Peabody Library: $1,644,694
Middleton Flint Public Library: $2,390,053
Revere Public Library: $2,581,232
For a complete listing, please visit http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/mblc/publications/newsrel/nr040115.shtml.
