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Application Guidelines
These Application Guidelines will be of assistance when preparing a LSTA minigrant. The guidelines bring together in an orderly fashion the basic information needed to prepare an application that meets LSTA requirements and is easily understood by reviewers, the State Library Board, and staff. In order to prepare the best possible application, the Application Guidelines should be used in conjunction with documents located on the Tips & Sample page: LSTA Grant Preparation: Tips & Traps LSTA Title Page Guidelines and LSTA Sample Budget Page A number of persons with varying backgrounds will read the application. You should provide clear and understandable information. The application must stand on its own in conveying information about the proposed project. Additional documents which may be of assistance are the State Library of Ohio LSTA Five Year Plan 2008 – 2012 and the LSTA Minigrant Review Sheet Scoring Guide. The LSTA Five Year Plan provides important information on the priorities and direction of LSTA funds in Section VIII in the Request for Proposal is entitled Proposal Description and discusses the four areas which must be addressed in the minigrant proposal. Following is an explanation of the four application components and the information which should be included in each. Project Summary Complete a Project Summary using the required form. It should not exceed one page. General Description of the Project (45 points) State the purpose of your project in relation to identified needs. This section of the proposal provides a profile of the current situation and why this project is needed to improve, correct, or enhance library services. This section may include a description of current needs and support, and suspected trends. The limits of existing programs and evidence of demand for the contemplated project should be discussed. A detailed research study is not necessary to provide identified need; however, the inclusion of available, pertinent data is advisable. A combination of hard numbers (quantitative data) or less structured information (qualitative data) may be used. Make sure that you document a real need, not a perceived one. You should be undertaking this project because your customers need or want it, not because the library feels it is the right thing to do or you assume people want it and will use it. The need for the project must be centered on the customer. The purchase of equipment, materials and so on are the tools to meet the end goal of assisting and providing enhanced services and programs to the customer. For example, a poor needs assessment will state “the library needs additional computers”. A better needs assessment will state, “patrons require additional access to online materials to assist them in searching for jobs, filling out unemployment forms…..” Explain how the project relates to the long range plans of the library(ies) involved. For Technological Innovation projects and some Targeted Populations projects, the project should be tied to an approved Technology Plan. Cite the objective from the Technology Plan that this project addresses or discuss how the project meets the overall goals and direction of the Technology Plan. For all projects, cite the goal or objective from the library(ies) Long Range Plan which this project will assist in addressing. Indicate why this is a target priority for the library and its service area. Provide measurable objectives that will assist in achieving the stated need. State, in measurable terms, what is to be accomplished through this project. Objectives are accomplished within a definite amount of time. Measurable objectives are essential because they allow for the comparison of past, present and future performance levels. Also, measurable objectives are essential for the evaluation of the project. Objectives should be thought of in terms of the degree to which they will address and/or solve the identified need. They should not, in general, be focused on methods or activities. Good objectives are not product oriented. Rather, they focus on results. For example, if the problem addressed in the project is to increase the equity of access to informational resources to individuals with disabilities, then one possible objective would be to get 40% of those with disabilities to use library resources. Examples of poor objectives for this proposal would be "To purchase four All objectives should include the following elements: A measure, a standard against which to compare that measure, a date or timeframe by which the standard should be met. Describe the activities to be undertaken to reach the objectives. Detail activities in logical progression, which are key to meeting the stated objective. The timeline is the means to reach the end (the objective). The timeline provides the details of the strategy to meet the objective. Show appropriateness of specified components to achieve the proposal and accomplish the objectives. Indicate how they will be integrated into the library's activities/programs. Indicate that the hardware, software, training methodology materials, programs, and so on are the correct ones to accomplish the objectives. Include information on how a decision was made (or will be made) to select specified components. For example, are the hardware components compatible with other components already in the library? Do they have networking capability? Are family literacy materials being purchased adequate to meet customer demands and to support the program? If relevant to the type of project being submitted, bid specs and vendor quotes must be included as an appendix. Evaluation (10 points) Present a plan to determine the impact the project will have over the next year. Each program must develop an evaluation component for each objective. The evaluation section addresses the question of how well the objectives were met and the degree to which you helped solve the problems indicated in the needs assessment. Because objectives are measurable, each evaluation statement must be measured in quantitative terms. However, qualitative assessments are also important. Much of the focus of LSTA is on impact, whether or not the project (and LSTA funds) are having a positive impact on the community and library customers. In writing the evaluation strategy, keep in mind that you are trying to measure the impact of the project. How will you be able to tell whether the project has made any difference? Some of the answers to this question involve the collection of quantitative data (e.g., numbers of service users, hits on the website, improved reading skills). Other data used to answer this question may be more qualitative (e.g., patron complaints, comments from staff, administrative effectiveness). You will be asked to do a year after evaluation of the project, so the plan to determine project impact should continue after the termination of the project. Impact evaluation indicates the amount of difference the project has made. This will help determine whether the project has made a difference and how much of a difference it has made. Specifically, what changes have been made in the areas of knowledge, skills, behavior or attitude? The Relation to LSTA Goals (25 points) Indicate how this project will assist in achieving the goals and priorities outlined in the LSTA Plan. The federal LSTA legislation lists 6 priorities for which LSTA funds are eligible. The goals and activities of the LSTA Five Year Plan are tied to the LSTA purposes. Individual library projects must also be aligned to these purposes. A fundable proposal will address how the project activities will meet identified local needs as well as support the selected federal purpose. The six federal purposes can be found in the minigrant RFP. Select one of the following LSTA goals and explain how this project will assist the State Library in meeting this goal. (more detail on the LSTA goals can be found in the Five Year Plan) The State Library Board and the LSTA Advisory Council worked with State Library in identifying the needs, goals, priorities, and activities for the LSTA Five Year Plan 2008 – 2012. Proposals should relate to one of the LSTA goals and/or a specific activity in the Five Year Plan. A fundable proposal will address both local needs and statewide issues and will clearly link to one of the LSTA goals. Budget (15 points) Also see LSTA Sample Budget Page on the Tips and Samples Page The cash matching is the amount the administering library will spend from local budget funds on the project. Matching funds must be in local cash. They may come from any source, as long as it is not other federal funds. For example, local operating funds, Friends or PTO contributions, other grant funds or gifts or cash raised through fund-raising efforts are all acceptable. Project Coordinators should consult closely with the Fiscal Coordinator while preparing the budget. This will make it easier for applicants to prepare the budget and for Fiscal Coordinators when completing the necessary financial reports. Identify major categories of expenditures and details on specific items within those categories. Under LSTA five budget categories may be used. Supplies This includes expendable materials and supplies that are normally used by staff for the operation of the library. Smaller priced items (such as pencils, pens, etc.) may be grouped into the categories of "Office Supplies" or "Program Supplies." The State of Contractual This includes
The State Library suggests writing contracts for consultants on a total cost basis so that consultants' fees include travel, housing, and meals as well as services. In this way the consultant pays his/her own expenses and is reimbursed through the contract. For most contracts, a draft contract must be submitted with the application as an appendix. Other This includes amounts paid to outside firms and individuals for all communications, printing and publicity services. Software is included as an Other budgetary item. Library Materials This includes the cost of purchasing or renting
Equipment All equipment purchased shall be used for the originally authorized purpose. When no longer needed as such, approval from the State Library must be requested to use the equipment for other purposes. Equipment includes amounts paid to outside firms and individuals for equipment. Bid specs for all equipment purchases must be included as an appendix. NOTE: The following are non-allowable costs for both federal funds and local match.
Include a budget justification for major components within the budget. A brief budget narrative will indicate the reasons behind the selection of items within the budget and indicate their purpose in fulfilling the stated objectives of the proposal. Indicate that the items selected are the best and most reasonable and necessary to fulfill the stated objectives of the proposal. Describe the degree of match by category and by items within the category. The amount of federal and local funds for each item and for each category must be indicated. See the Budget Sample Page for examples of acceptable budget layouts. Format (5 points) The proposal conforms to all format requirements and the title page follows the outline given in the sample title page guidelines. The proposal follows all formatting requirements outlined in Section VII of the RFP. Points will be deducted for proposals that are not double–spaced, are in a font less than 12 point and so on. The title page must follow the outline provided in the Sample Title Page and contain all information shown in the sample. Using headings from the RFP will enhance the look and readability of the proposal. Appropriate appendices are attached. These may include bid specs and vendor quotes, letters of support, and evaluation assessment instruments. Review Process Upon receipt of the proposals, the review process begins. The LSTA Program Coordinator and the LSTA Fiscal Coordinator do a preliminary review to make sure each proposal is eligible for funding. Proposals are then sent to review committees. Members of the review committees are selected in part based on their expertise and familiarity with the grant programs. Each review committee will be comprised of members of the LSTA Advisory Council, members from the general library community (a mix of public, academic, special, and school librarians will be utilized) and one State Library resource person. The review committees will rank each proposal based on factors and points stated in the Proposal Description of the RFP and the Scoring Guide located on the Tips and Samples page. Scores and prioritization's will be forwarded to the Evaluation Subcommittee which will make recommendations on funding. Funding recommendations will be presented to the State Library Board for approval.
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