Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
Grants for developing rural libraries and established rural
libraries under the rural libraries grant program shall be those grants awarded
pursuant to Subsection A of Section
18-18-2
NMSA 1978. When sufficient funding is available, as determined by the state
librarian, to offer rural library program grants under this section, the state
librarian shall issue an official rural library program grant announcement and
provide the grant guidelines.
A.
CRITERIA FOR AWARDING GRANTS FOR DEVELOPING LIBRARIES UNDER THE RURAL LIBRARY
GRANT PROGRAM: Receipt of a rural libraries program grant under this section
shall not exclude eligibility for an award under the state grants in aid grant
program established in 4.5.2 NMAC. The state library shall award developing
rural libraries a grant where the developing rural library has met, or
exceeded, the following criteria:
(1) timely
submission of an annual report to the state library;
(2) continuous operation for at least nine
months;
(3) maintenance of adequate
financial and other records to support the library's eligibility for receiving
library grants; the state library may audit such records annually, or as
needed, as determined in the state library's sole discretion;
(4) compliance with all state statutes and
rules;
(5) compliance with
requirements for developing rural library grants;
(6) employment of a designated
director;
(7) creation of a library
board that meets at least two times a year and adheres to the state's open
meetings law;
(8) successful
expenditure of all developing rural library grant funds during the prior fiscal
year, if applicable.
B.
CRITERIA FOR AWARDING GRANTS TO ESTABLISHED RURAL LIBRARIES UNDER THE RURAL
LIBRARY GRANT PROGRAM. Receipt of a rural libraries grant under this section
shall not exclude eligibility for an award under the state grants in aid grant
program established in 4.5.2 NMAC. The state library shall award established
rural libraries a rural library program grant where an established rural
library has met, or exceeded, the following criteria:
(1) timely submission of an annual report
with the state library for the current year and a minimum of two years
prior;
(2) continuous operation for
at least one year;
(3) receipt of a
minimum of three consecutive developing rural library grants;
(4) demonstration of receipt of financial
support from sources other than the state; in particular, matching funds in
relation to the population of the library's legal service area shall be at
least $1.50 per person;
(5)
maintenance of adequate financial and other records to support the library's
eligibility for receiving library grants; the state library may audit such
records annually, or as needed, as determined in the state library's sole
discretion;
(6) compliance with all
state statutes and rules;
(7)
compliance with requirements for library grants for established rural
libraries;
(8) formation of a
strategic plan that the public library reviews, updates, and files with the
state library every five years, and a community analysis and needs assessment,
and a collection development policy that the public library reviews, updates,
and files with the state library every five years;
(9) maintain a library board that meets at
least two times a year and adheres to the state open meetings law;
(10) employment of a designated
director;
(11) successful
expenditure of all public library grant funds during the prior fiscal
year.
C. DISTRIBUTION OF
FUNDS: The state library division shall distribute grants in the following
manner:
(1) Application: The annual report
submitted for the immediate prior year shall serve as the developing or
established public library's application.
(2) Allocation: The state library shall award
one share of the allocation to each established rural library and each
developing rural library.
(3)
Notification: After annual reports are submitted, the state library shall
calculate the grant award for each library in accordance with paragraph (2)
above. The state library shall notify all eligible public libraries informing
them of the amount of their grant.
(4) Request for payment: Each library shall
return the signed grant agreement to the state library within 60 days of
receipt of the agreement measured from the postmark or electronic postmark.
Upon timely receipt of the grant agreement, the state library shall process a
payment request form. If a library does not submit the grant agreement within
the required time period, it forfeits the grant award.
(5) Maintenance of effort: A grant
recipient's local government funding sources shall not be reduced as a result
of the grant recipient's receipt of a rural library program grant or funding
for specialized services. Upon demonstrated evidence that such a reduction has
occurred, the grant recipient shall be ineligible to receive a rural library
program grant or funding for specialized services for one year after the
reduction occurs.
