General Purposes of Grants

The Northeast Kansas Library System provides grants to member libraries to support the mission and purpose of the system: to improve existing library services, and to extend service to all residents of the System through those libraries.Each type of grant has specific purposes and eligibility requirements. Those grants are the largest single expenditure in the system budget and include the following programs:

Public Library Development Grants. The Northeast Kansas Library System supports and encourages the improvement of public library services though an extensive public library development program incorporating:

• Standards for library governance, services, technology and personnel.
• Voluntary accreditation of public libraries that accomplish those standards.
• Library Development grants to accredited city and township libraries within the NEKLS taxing district.

In addition to Public Library Development grants, the Northeast Kansas Library System provides several other grants and subsidies to member libraries:

• Continuing education grants and scholarships to personnel in member libraries.
• Summer reading program performer mileage reimbursement grants.
• Substitute librarian grants to permit library personnel from libraries with limited staffing to participate in continuing education programs.
• Kansas Library Trustee Association membership reimbursement grants.
• Subsidized fees for OCLC cataloging charges.
• Subsidized courier service fees.

Public Library Development Grants

Service Target: Eligible public libraries in counties within the System tax district.

Contact Person: Jim Minges

Purpose and Use

The purpose of the Library Development Grants is to improve library services, and to provide financial assistance to libraries from the system tax base that would otherwise be taxed directly by those libraries. There are no restrictions on the use of the Library Development Grants provided that they are expended or encumbered by the end of the year in which the funds are received.

Eligibility and Grant Applications

Accredited city and township public libraries (and district libraries with boundaries limited to a single township),  in counties within the system tax district (Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Miami, Nemaha, and Osage counties) are eligible for Library Development Grants. The grant amount is determined by the NEKLS Public Library Accreditation level met by the library. Annual grant applications must be submitted to the Northeast Kansas Library System in order to receive Library Development Grants.

Grant Limits and restrictions

The primary source of support for library service is local tax revenue, and system grants should be viewed as a supplement to that local support. Grants to member libraries will generally not exceed the total amount of local tax funds. Local tax funds include income reported to the Kansas State Library as local government income or indirect local public support. Local tax funds may not include carry over funds, funds received from State Grants-in-Aid, LSTA grants, System Grants, or any non-tax revenue such as gifts, fees and fines.

Allocation of Library Development Grants

The formula for distribution of Library Development Grants will be determined annually by the System Executive Board. The current grant formula is:

Library Development Grants payments are distributed quarterly on the third Thursday of March, June, September and November.

Public Library Accreditation Program

Accreditation is a requirement for grants to eligible libraries in the 11 NEKLS taxing counties. However all public libraries are welcome to apply for accreditation. Participation is entirely voluntary for those libraries not eligible for grants, but provides the opportunity to pursue the same benchmarks of library management and service as other public libraries in Northeast Kansas. Recognition of libraries that meet library development standards will be provided through accreditation plaques, logos for library web sites and other materials.

The new standards are streamlined from the previous library development criteria, and accreditation will be valid for a three-year period ending December 31, 2011. Libraries may choose the standards level at which they wish to be accredited. A chart of principal differences among standards levels, and complete application packages for each level, are provided below.

If you have any questions about the accreditation and standards program, or would like NEKLS staff to meet with you regarding the program, please contact Jim Minges or Mickey Coalwell at 1-888-296-6963, or by emailing at jminges@)nekls.org or mcoalwell@nekls.org.

Print or view the Standards (opens in PDF Format):

• Accreditation Standards by Level
• Gateway Library
• Linking Library
• Service Center I
• Service Center II
• Major Service Center I
• Major Service Center II
• Major Service Center III
• Major Resource Library

Continuing Education Scholarships

Service Target: All libraries

Contact Persons: Laura DeBaun, Business Manager and Jim Minges, Director

Purpose and Use: To improve and continue the education and training of library personnel.

Eligibility: All library personnel and library trustees of member libraries are eligible for scholarships, which are grants to individuals rather than libraries.

Guidelines and Procedures:

Applications for Continuing Education Scholarship Grants may be made at any time using the following application form, and following the guidelines stated there.

Grants are only provided for educational programs that are not provided directly by the Northeast Kansas Library System. In general, allocation of grants are divided equally among grants for library conferences, for college credit tuition, and for other continuing education activities.

Substitute Librarian Program

Service Target: Public libraries

Contact Persons: Laura DeBaun, Business Manager and Brenda Hough, Continuing Education Consultant

Purpose and Use: To improve and continue the education and training of library personnel.

Eligibility: Public libraries which are NEKLS members are eligible if they meet the following criteria:

1. The library is in a community under 5,000 population AND
2. The library has no more than 2.5 FTE staff (total paid staff time equal to no more than 100 hours per week).

The program must be used for continuing education activities. It can also be used for legislative advocacy events, such as Legislative Day, and participation in NEKLS committee meetings. It is primarily designed for use by library directors.

KLA/KLTA Membership Incentive Subsidy

Service Target: All public library trustees

Contact Person: Laura DeBaun, Business Manager

Purpose and Use: To encourage trustee membership and participation in the Kansas Library Association and Kansas Library Trustee Association

Eligibility: : Public library boards of trustees are eligible for incentive grants for KLTA membership

Guidelines and Procedures: The Northeast Kansas Library System has a special incentive program for trustee membership in KLTA  To take advantage of this opportunity, do the following:

• Enroll and pay membership fee for library trustee membership in KLA/KLTA.
• Attach a sheet for KLA/KLTA membership listing all current library board trustees with complete addresses, phone number and e-mail addresses, if available.
• NEKLS will send a check to the library in the amount of $10.00 per trustee.

Summer Reading Performer Mileage Grants

Service Target: All libraries with summer reading programs

Contact Person: Laura DeBaun, Business Manager

Purpose and Use: To encourage the use of performers to enhance summer reading programs.

Guidelines and Procedures: Libraries should maintain records of the mileage expense claimed by summer reading performers for programs presented between June 1 and August 31. At the end of the summer the library should submit a Summer Reading Mileage form to the NEKLS office specifying the miles claimed for each performance. NEKLS will reimburse the library at the current year’s federal rate for mileage reimbursement up to a maximum of $250.00. The library should NOT give a performer a Summer Reading Mileage form. NEKLS will no longer directly reimburse the performer. All payments to performers will be made by the library.

OCLC CatExpress Copy Cataloging Subsidy

Service Target: Public libraries and school libraries in school districts with only one high school

Contact Person: Laura DeBaun, Business Manager

Purpose and Use: Affordable access to high quality cataloging data.

NEKLS provides subsidized access to this source of cataloging data. The library will be able to search the extensive OCLC data base of high quality cataloging records, attach their holdings to the appropriate record, and automatically download the record into their local automation system and the Kansas Library Catalog.

Eligible libraries for up to 2,000 items annually at 50% of the OCLC fee. NEKLS will pay the remaining portion of the fee. Additional items may be cataloged on CatExpress at a higher cost. Due to the availability of free online cataloging data from other sources, libraries are encouraged to use the OCLC only as a last resort when the item can not be located in a free source.

Courier Service Subsidy

Service Target: All libraries

Contact Person: Carolyn Little, Courier Manager, and Jim Minges, Director

Purpose and Use: Affordable access to high quality cataloging data.

NEKLS provides subsidies for participation in Kansas Library Express, the statewide interlibrary courier service. Subsidies for courier base fees are as follows:

Service 3 stops per week: $800 subsidy

Service 5 stops per week: $1,400 subsidy

NEKLS also pays all high volume surcharges for libraries shipping more than 4,000 items per year.