Grants for Alaskan Libraries and Schools

Public Library Assistance Grants

Alaska public libraries and combined school public libraries may apply for the Public Library Assistance grant each year. In order to receive this grant, the library must continue to meet a variety of ongoing eligibility requirements. Grant funds may be used to pay staff, purchase library materials, or pay for any other daily operating cost of the library.

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants

Each year, the State Library funds a limited number of grants which have statewide significance or direct impact on library users. Libraries of all types are encouraged to submit applications for interlibrary cooperation grants. Grants have been awarded for a wide variety of projects, such as reading incentive programs, automation projects, computers and printers for public use, and the development of special programs for patrons. To see the broad range of grants awarded in recent years, please look at the summaries of interlibrary cooperation, regional services, and netlender reimbursement grants below on this page.

Continuing Education (CE) Grants

Changes to the continuing education grants for FY2018:

  1. Each public library outlet is now eligible for two (2) CE grants per fiscal year.
  2. One CE grant may be used by the Library Director, or any library staff member designated by the Library Director, for a broad range of pertinent continuing education opportunities.
  3. An additional First Time Library Conference Attendance CE Grant may ONLY be used to send a new library staff member (someone who has never attended a library conference) to a library conference.
  4. Each CE grant, whether for in-state or out-of-state travel, will be reimbursed up to $1,250.

In order to help public libraries meet the continuing education requirement for the Public Library Assistance Grant, the State Library encourages staff in public or combined school public libraries to apply for CE grants, an ongoing grant program that reimburses the cost of training. Every library director must attend at least six (6) hours of training once every two years for her library to remain eligible for the Public Library Assistance Grant.

The proposed CE opportunities must be approved in advance by the State Library Continuing Education Coordinator. Actual costs, not to exceed $1,250.00 for in-state or out-of-state training, will be reimbursed. For more guidelines, read the grant description.

Special Grant Application and Report Forms

These special grant applications and grant final reports are required from those libraries that are eligible to receive netlender reimbursement, regional services, or 800#/ILL backup grants.

School Broadband Assistance Grant

Established in 2014 by the Alaska State Legislature, the School Broadband Assistance Grant program was created to assist schools to reach internet download speeds of 10 Mbps. Grant funds may be used to cover eligible costs incurred by the school districts for their schools that have less than 10 Mbps download speeds each fiscal year.

Public School Library Grant Precertification

In 2008, the Alaska State Legislature authorized a School Library Collection Development grant for each public school with a school library program. In December 2008, the State School Board passed regulations pertaining to this law. See Alaska Statutes 14.56.360 – 14.56.375 and Alaska Administrative Code 4.57.410 – 4.57.490.

In September 2009, the Alaska State Library in Anchorage collected precertification applications from each school in order to determine which schools would be eligible for funding and to submit an accurate funding proposal to the Alaska State Legislature. As of July 2014, the public school library grant program authorized by this law has not yet been funded.

Federal and State Grant Funding Information

Federal Grant Funding Through the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA)

A variety of Federal programs have provided assistance to public, school and college libraries since enactment of the original Library Services Act in 1956. For forty years, these programs concentrated on public library development and interlibrary cooperation. In 1997, Congress passed a new program, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), which recognizes the importance of all types of libraries in the provision of library services to Americans. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the federal agency that administers this national grant program. LSTA currently focuses on six priorities:

  1. Expand services for learning and access to information and educational resources in a variety of formats, in all types of libraries, for individuals of all ages;
  2. Develop library services that provide all users access to information through local, state, regional, national and international electronic networks;
  3. Provide electronic and other linkages among and between all types of libraries;
  4. Develop public and private partnerships with other agencies and community-based organizations;
  5. Target library services to individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, to individuals with disabilities, and to individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills; and
  6. Target library and information services to persons having difficulty using a library and to underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line

The Alaska State Library administers the program for these priorities with the assistance of the Governor's Advisory Council in Libraries (GAC). This board advises the State Library on the development of the Library Services and Technology Act Alaska State Plan and on the development of specific programs. Federal funds are used to support regional services grants, the 800#/ILL backup grant, interlibrary cooperation grants, and continuing education grants.

The current LSTA Alaska State Plan outlines the goals, objectives, and activities that the State Library intends to carry out with LSTA funds to address the needs and critical issues facing libraries in Alaska. Previous versions of the state plan are included here for reference. The State Library is required by Federal law to evaluate its LSTA spending every five years; these evaluations are included here. For more information about the Institute of Museum and Library Services or the Governor’s Advisory Council on Libraries, please visit their web pages.

Federal Grant Funding Through the Native American Library Services Grant Program

The Institute of Museum and Library Services also administers a Federal grant program that provides direct financial support to libraries operated by Native American tribes and Alaska Native villages or councils. In Alaska, many public libraries work with the local native council to apply for these grants, while in other Alaska Native villages, the village council uses the entire grant to operate its own library.

The Native American Library Services Basic Grant is distributed annually to eligible applicants. Basic Grants are available to support existing library operations and to maintain core library services.

The Education/Assessment Option may be requested as a supplement to the Basic Grant. The purpose of the Education/Assessment Option is to provide funding for library staff to attend continuing education courses and training workshops on- or off-site, for library staff to attend or give presentations at conferences related to library services, and to hire a consultant for an on-site professional library assessment.

The Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants support projects to enhance existing library services or implement new library services, particularly as they relate to the goals of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). For more information on these grant programs, please visit these web pages.

State Grant Funding Through the Alaska Statutes and Alaska Administrative Code

Each year, the State Legislature appropriates funds for library grants to the State Library. The State Library uses 75% of this appropriation to fund the public library assistance grants. These funds are simply divided up by the number of public library outlets that are eligible for the public library grant. In recent years, the amount of the public library assistance grant for each outlet has ranged from $6,200 to $6,350. The remaining 25% of this appropriation is used to fund netlender reimbursement and interlibrary cooperation grants.

Grants Funded by the Alaska State Library

The following lists describe the interlibrary cooperation, regional services, and netlender reimbursement grants awarded during each of these fiscal years. These summaries are useful in determining if the State Library has funded past projects that are similar to your idea.



Page last updated 06/19/2017

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