DATE: February 26, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kelley Worman-Landano, County Librarian
SUBJECT: Retroactive California State Library Application/Grant Agreement
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively authorize the County Librarian’s previous submittal of an application to the California State Library for a Library Services and Technology Act Grant;
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to ratify the County Librarian’s previous execution of a retroactive application/agreement and acceptance of grant funds from the California State Library, effective January 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019 ($10,000);
3. Authorize the County Librarian, or their designee, to sign expenditure forms and activity reports for this agreement; and
4. Adopt Budget Resolution increasing FY 2018-19 appropriations and estimated revenues in the Library Grants Org 7517 in the amount of $10,000 (4/5 vote).
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The California State Library (CSL) has awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to the Library in the amount of $10,000, effective January 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019. The grant application was submitted contingent upon your Board’s approval. Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Library to accept the grant funds, which will provide the Library the opportunity to create portable, circulating Learning2Go kits that will contain books, manipulatives, and resources with a common theme that can be used in various settings. This grant will allow the Library to provide a successful program to support early childhood education and literacy by reaching out to caregivers with limited library access due to distance, lack of transportation, or lack of knowledge of resources via the WithOutWalls Mobile Library (WOW). This item is Countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose to decline the grant award from the CSL, which will result in the Library not providing a program to support early childhood education and literacy by reaching out to caregivers with limited library access in Fresno County.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended application/agreement is retroactive to January 1, 2019 because the Library was allowed to submit up to three project applications and the determination of which projects the Library would apply for was made in late November. The Library applied for the grant on December 7, 2018 after completion of the application’s project plan and budget. The Library received the grant award notice on January 7, 2019 and is bringing this before your Board within the agenda item processing timelines.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The $10,000 grant from the CSL will be used for small tools and instruments ($4,000) and materials ($6,000). The grant does not require a match or in-kind contribution; however, staff costs to administer the Program have been included in the FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget Org 7511 and will be included in the FY 2019-20 budget request. The budget resolution in the fourth recommended action will increase appropriations and estimated revenues in the Library Grants Org 7517 for FY 2018-19 in the amount of $10,000.
DISCUSSION:
As a California public research institution, the CSL’s mission is to empower all people of California by preserving and providing access to California’s unique history to enrich the lives of current and future generations. This grant is part of a program of the California State Library, supported by funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the LSTA, and administered in California by the State Librarian. This program will be implemented throughout Fresno County via the WOW Mobile Library.
Learning2Go literacy kits are designed for circulation among daycare providers and other early childhood education providers with limited resources in order to create a literacy-rich environment for children in their care. Each portable, circulating Learning2Go kit will contain books and manipulatives with a common theme that can be used in various settings including, but not limited to, story times. The goal is to provide home-schoolers, childcare providers, preschools, and library staff with the tools to make a difference in early childhood education and to make it easy for providers to do so on a limited budget, with limited staffing, or minimal access to training. The Learning2Go literacy kits have been created to bring early literacy resources out of the library and into the community. The WOW Mobile Library will take the Learning2Go kits to partner organizations, workshops, story times and other community gatherings to demonstrate their use.
The CSL published a request for application on October 31, 2018 with a submission deadline of December 10, 2018. The Library submitted the application on December 7, 2018 contingent upon your Board’s approval. The Library received the award notice on January 7, 2019. The grant application will become the agreement once approved by your Board. The Library learned of this grant opportunity on October 31, 2018, and because of the number of Fresno County Public Library branches, the Library was allowed to submit up to three project applications. The determination of which projects the Library would apply for was made in late November and staff members began developing the project plan and budget necessary for submitting the application. The second recommended action will ratify the Librarian’s previous signature on the grant application/agreement, which the Librarian signed in order to meet the grant application deadline.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Application/Agreement with CSL
On file with Clerk - Resolution (Org 7517)
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck