Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Digital Access Libraries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Idaho libraries seek ongoing authority to spend federal digital-access grants; lawmakers press for details on summer reading materials
Summary
The Idaho Commission for Libraries told the Joint Finance committee it is implementing a federal Digital Access for All Idahoans grant, asking to fold spending authority into the base to make multi‑year planning easier; lawmakers sought detail on how summer reading materials are selected and on distribution of subgrants.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries asked the Joint Finance committee to approve making federal digital‑access funding part of its base spending authority so the agency can plan multi‑year subgrants and local support.
Brooke Dupree, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the agency requests $2,500,000 ongoing for the “Digital Access for All Idahoans” program and a separate $42,400 ongoing for broadband reimbursement under the Education Opportunity Resource Act (chapter 56, title 33, Idaho Code). Dupree said the commission expects more libraries to qualify for reimbursements than it has funding for in base appropriations.
The request would increase the commission’s base so it can issue subgrants and staff program delivery. “Some of this money will be used for personnel costs within the commission to implement and oversee these programs,” Dupree said, and “some of it will be used to buy laptops to then subgrant to those libraries.”
Why it matters: the commission said the federal grant enables hiring digital navigators, expanding digital‑skills training, providing device access and tech support, and addressing access barriers such as affordability and digital literacy. State lawmakers expressed concern about permanently folding a federal grant into the state base if the federal funding later ends.
“Anytime we have federal money that sets up something and it goes for some period of time and then it stops, then there seems to be an expectation…that the state is to pay general funds,” said Chairman Growe. Dupree and agency staff told the committee the federal program is awarded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and related federal notices of award; the commission expects additional notices of award and that the grant funds are available to spend through a multi‑year period (the commission gave an expiration date in testimony). Analysts advised the committee that treating the funding as one‑time versus ongoing is a committee decision.
The commission’s plan and spending process: Stephanie Bailey White, state librarian and director of the Idaho Commission for Libraries, said the agency launched subgrant applications, received 39 applications in the first round, and plans to send ranked applications to NTIA for federal review and approval. “Eighty percent of the funds are planned to go out through subgrants to Idaho organizations, our community colleges, school districts,” Bailey White said. Subgrants will be competitive, scored with a rubric, and will include reporting and monitoring requirements.
Summer reading and material selection: Several senators asked about summer reading materials after members of the committee said they had received concerns about inappropriate material for children in library summer reading programs. Bailey White said the statewide summer reading program is funded through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and is administered differently than the federal digital access grant. The commission provides manuals, posters and a limited number of paperback books (a recent donation from the Scottish Rite Foundation provided $17,500 in discounted books). Bailey White said the commission’s youth services consultant, who holds a library science degree, selects books using collection‑development criteria for recreational reading and that libraries receive the books as optional incentives.
On a previous occasion the commission removed items it determined were inappropriate for young children and updated collection policies; a committee member noted the commission revised its policies after that review and had worked closely with the commission to remove those items.
Requested follow‑up and next steps: Lawmakers asked for more details on how the digital‑access funds will be spent (an itemized plan and past disbursements) and on how summer reading materials are distributed and chosen. Dupree and Bailey White said they will provide a follow‑up that lists how the digital funds have been spent, the commission’s distribution and subgrant rubric, and details of the summer reading materials program.
