Wightman 1

Ben Wightman
LIS 524 School Library Field Experience
Fall 2014
November 26, 2014 Module 4
Securing and managing funding is not the most exciting or attractive aspect of the library
media specialist (LMS) profession, but it is an essential part of the job. In New York State,
school libraries are essentially guaranteed $6.25 per student through the library materials aid
(LMA) program. LMA funds are issued on a reimbursement basis, so districts are required to
accumulate the initial funds from other sources. However, once the pattern is established, the
fund can be replenished from year-to-year as long as new acquisitions qualify for the rebates
(Library Materials Aid Questions and Answers).
In practice, $6.25 per students is a low minimum expenditure for library media centers
(LMCs). According to data from the New York State Education Department, LMCs at successful
districts1 spent, on average, $22 per student during the 2008-2009 school year (Library
Materials Aid Questions and Answers). While the first $6.25 of that expenditure qualifies for
LMA, the remainder must be obtained through federal funds, grants, and the local district budget.
At the Cazenovia School District, most LMC funding comes from the third source.
Anne Hegel is the LMS at both Burton St. Elementary School and Cazenovia Middle
School.2 Each LMC has a separate materials budget, with set allocations for categories like print
resources, databases, periodicals, and software. The overall budgets and allocation ratios are
determined by the district office. The assistant superintendent is primarily responsible for
establishing funding levels, and Mrs. Hegel selects the specific purchases. Expenditures require
the signatures of both individuals to be approved. Accordingly, communication is the key to
keeping the funding process operating smoothly. When filing purchase orders, Mrs. Hegel takes
care to specify how the materials connect to the budget division used to purchase them. She also
highlights bargains, such as free shipping and free MARC records, to show how the funds are
being stretched to maximum effectiveness. In some instances, she may add brief comments, like
Common Core nonfiction to highlight the curricular role of the new acquisitions. The purpose
is to succinctly justify the expense, both for the district office and potential auditors. Maintaining
open communication about her overall vision makes it easier for Mrs. Hegel to obtain approval
when she needs to shift funds from one category to another.
Typically, Mrs. Hegel aims to spend most of her materials budgets within the first three
months of the fiscal year (July, August, and September). On a psychological level, it conveys the
idea that the money is needed and appreciated. Untapped funds may create a perceived lack of
need, and lead to reductions of subsequent budgets. Ordering materials early in the year also has
practical advantages. Between paperwork, delivery and preparation, it takes about two months
for new materials to be ready for circulation. Resources ordered in the summer will be available
to students all year. Delaying until mid-year gives students just 2-3 months to use the new
acquisitions.

1
2

Districts with a Regents exam passing rate above 80%.

See Module 11 for background.

Wightman 2
Overall Mrs. Hegel has a generous budget to work with each year. Burton St. receives
approximately $18 per student, while the Middle School receives approximately $35 per student.
While this appears to be a large disparity, there are several mitigating factors. In absolute terms
the two budgets are comparable,3 but the Middle School serves 3/5 as many students as Burton
St., so its per capita figure is higher. More importantly, Burton St. benefits from significantly
higher personnel spending. While Burton St. has a full time aide and Mrs. Hegel 5/6 of the time,
the Middle School LMC is staffed by a rotation of teachers and Mrs. Hegel once every 6 days.
The programming advantages of having a full time LMS are more than enough to offset the
modest materials budget.
In Module 11, I suggested that restoring the full time LMS position would help revitalize
the Middle Schools programming. At first glance, these budget figures might appear to support
such a move. Unfortunately the amount of money in question is not large enough. $15 per
Middle School student could not finance the hiring of a new LMS. In fact, the combined LMC
materials budgets of Burton St. and the Middle School are still less than the entry level salary of
a professional LMS. The LMS can make a dramatic difference, but the investment cost is
significant. It is important to remember this fact when engaging in evaluation and advocacy. We,
LIS professionals, cost a lot, and we need to provide significant value to justify that cost.
Fortunately, LMSs are not completely dependent on funding from district or state
authorities. Additional resources can be obtained through fundraising and grants. According to
Mrs. Hegel, the limits of fundraising are often determined by the creative will of the LMS. For
example, one of her acquaintances, an avid cook, spends her lunch periods teaching students how
to bake. At the end of the year, they showcase their talents by staging a bake sale to support the
LMC. At Burton St., Mrs. Hegel uses a more conventional book fair. Running the week-long
book fair is hard work for the library staff, but it has significant benefits for both the LMC and
the students. The LMC receives a portion of the proceeds to fund author visits, and the students
get to bring home new books. While marketing books to students and their families is not a
realistic alternative for every district, it is a valid option in affluent communities like Cazenovia.
In general, Mrs. Hegel does not apply for grants. The day-to-day responsibilities of
running two LMCs require too much time. Furthermore, funding for materials is not a major
problem at either building. Finding grants to fit the Middle Schools needs was difficult. Many
grant organizations rightly focus their efforts on areas where poverty is more widespread.
Furthermore, the majority of grants are earmarked for programming, capital improvement, or
collection development. At the Middle School the greatest need is staffing, an area grant trustees
are reluctant to sponsor because it is difficult to do so sustainably. In the end I chose six small
scale grants that could be used to make incremental improvements without demanding a
significant time investment. Two of the six are student-initiated. Their chances of bringing
financial gain to the LMC are slim, but the application process itself could have a positive impact
on participating students. The third grant uses a lottery-type allocation. No one should rely on
such a contest as a source of funding, but it proves that not all grant applications require a huge
time investment. Even a busy LMS, like Mrs. Hegel, can spare ten minutes. The payoff may be
unlikely, but the cost for trying is negligible. The fourth grant is a publishers promotion that
represents a category of opportunities I would be interested in pursuing as a LMS. The funds are
3

The Middle School still receives about $2000 more.

Wightman 3
specifically designated for ebooks, which I believe is a segment of the Middle Schools
collection that needs to grow. The 6th grade team recently won funding to equip each student
with a personal laptop. Expanding ebook holdings would help the 6th graders make maximum
use of their new tools. The final two grants are traditional project-oriented grants, but one has a
national sponsor and the other has a local one. I included both because I believe both types of
opportunities are worth exploring. Many communities have citizens eager to give back, and
LMSs should not forget to contact those local individuals and groups when they identify a need
of interest to the community.
LMC funding is a varied and complex topic. Many different stakeholders and
organizations participate, and it is important for LMSs to engage with all of them to ensure
students have continued access to high quality, up-to-date resources and programs.

Works Cited
Capstone Interactive eBook Matching Grants. Capstone Interactive. Capstone. 2014. Web. 14
Nov. 2014.
Grants & Funding Index. Titlewave. Follett, Aug. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Library Materials Aid Questions and Answers. NYSED.gov. New York State Education
Department. 29 Oct 2014. Web. 20 Nov 2014.
Works Cited

Wightman 4

Annotated Grant List

1. Letters about Literature Competition / Ticket to Reading Rewards
Websites
Located using
Amount

Description
(Quoted from Grants
& Funding Index)

Comments/Rationale

http://www.lettersaboutliterature.org/how_to_enter /
http://www.tickettoreadingrewards.org/about.html
Grants & Funding Index
$100-$10,000 (LAL),
Student-initiated
Type
Non-cash prizes (TRR)
Letters about Literature Competition Young readers write to an author describing
how that authors work somehow changed the readers view of the world or
himself/herself. Readers respond to the book theyve read by exploring the personal
relationship between themselves, the author and the books characters or themes.
Ticket to Reading Rewards Ticket To Reading Rewards is a reading incentive
program that encourages Middle School students to read books outside the classroom
and obtain rewards for reading. Over the life of the program, students have read an
estimated 4,000,000 books, obtained nearly 1,000,000 rewards and attended 125,000
local men's and women's NCAA basketball games--all at no cost to the school district
or its students.

These options have the advantage of allowing a few strong readers to

represent the school at large. They also give the students opportunities
to win prizes for themselves. I would not want to rely one either grant
as a source of funding for a project, but I think both are potential
motivational tools. Ticket to Reading Rewards in particular appears to
have a high number of winners, and offers prizes that would be
attractive to middle school boys.

2. We Love Libraries!
Website
Located using
Amount
Description
(Quoted from Grants
& Funding Index)

Comments/Rationale

http://www.sistersincrime.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenb
r=53
Grants & Funding Index
$1000
Lottery
Type
Enter your library in "We Love Libraries" lottery. At the end of each month, a winner
will be drawn from entries received at our website at www.sistersincrime.org. To
enter, simply complete the entry form and upload a photo of one or more of your staff
with three books in your collection by Sisters in Crime members. You can find a list
of our members who are authors by clicking here.

This contest is a good option for librarians who are generally

uninterested in grants because of the long application process.
Although the chances of winning are relatively low, the entry process
can be done in minutes. At worst, the library continues to function with
its existing funds, as the librarian would have been content to do all
along. At best, the library receives a modest bonus to apply to
collection development.

Wightman 5
3. Capstone Interactive eBook Matching Grants
Website
Located using
Amount
Description
(Quoted from
Capstone website)
Comments/Rationale

http://www.capstonepub.com/library/digital/capstone-interactive-grant/
Google (ebook grants)
1-for-1 matching up
Publishers
Type
to $5000
Promotion
Awardees committing a minimum of $500 toward the purchase of Capstone
Interactive ebooks will receive a dollar-for-dollar match in additional Capstone
Interactive eBook titles. For example, awardees who spend $500 will receive $1,000
worth of Capstone Interactive eBooks. Maximum matching grant is $5,000 per
school.

This application for this particular grant was due on October 31, but it
represents a category of grants for which I believe librarians should
watch. eBooks are an underdeveloped part of many collections, but the
increasing availability of e-readers makes them an important part.

4. Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust

Website
Located using
Amount
Description
(Quoted from Grants
& Funding Index)
Comments/Rationale

http://www.carr.org/mae/MAEAPP.pdf (dead link)

Grants & Funding Index
Up to $5000
Project Grant
Type
Innovative programs that promote reading for pleasure for young adults. Applications
that feature new or creative programs will receive special consideration over those
simply seeking funds for collection development or for a book discussion group.

This is a more traditional grant that could be used to fund a

programming-related project. One of the major advantages is that it
has an ongoing application period open exclusively to school and
public libraries.

5. Common Grounds Challenge Grant

Website
Located using
Amount
Description
(Quoted from grant
brochure)

Comments/Rationale

None
Word of mouth
2-for-1 matching up
to $20,000

Type

Project Grant

The CGCG is a two-for-one matching grant, awarded annually to the grantee(s) who
develop and justify a proposal to improve the quality of life in Cazenovia. Any person
or group wishing to serve the Cazenovia community, including nonprofit
organizations, educators, students, health care providers, churches, the Village, the
Town, and concerned citizens may apply.

The application for this years grant was due on November 15, but new
rounds of funding are offered each year. It represents a subset of local
funding opportunities that librarians should not ignore. Earning local
support for a worthwhile project may be easier than winning a
nationally-competitive grant.