Idaho libraries push to keep federal digital-access programs funded as grants wind down

The Idaho Commission for Libraries told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on July 1 that it has begun implementing a multi-year federal digital-access program and is seeking state budget authority to continue work while additional federal notices of award are expected.

Brooke Dupree, budget and policy analyst with the legislative services office, told the committee the commission is requesting $2,500,000 ongoing in its base for the “Digital Access for All Idahoans” program, and a separate $42,400 ongoing for a broadband reimbursement under the Education Opportunity Resource Act (Idaho Code, title 33, chapter 56). Dupree said the digital-access funding originates with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and is being administered through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The request is rooted in a federal allocation that Idaho may spend through Feb. 2032, Deputy State Librarian Stephanie Bailey White said. “We were the third state in the nation to receive our allocation of funds,” Bailey White told the panel, and the commission has launched a subgrant round with 39 applicants in the first notice of funding opportunity.

Why this matters: The program is designed to address barriers to online access — affordability, digital skills, device access and cybersecurity awareness — and 80% of the federal allocation is planned to be distributed through competitive subgrants to libraries, community colleges, school districts and nonprofit organizations. The commission says the funding will support local “digital navigators,” device purchases and digital-skills training.

What the commission says it will do - Stephanie Bailey White, state librarian and director of the Idaho Commission for Libraries, said subgrants were due “just a couple weeks ago” and that awards must be reviewed and approved by NTIA before contracts can be executed. The commission expects additional notices of funding opportunities but said timing remains uncertain. - Dupree and Bailey White said about 80% of the funds will be subgranted to community organizations and institutions, and that selected grantees will be required to provide interim and final reports and be subject to monitoring. - Bailey White said some award dollars will fund personnel costs within the commission to administer the program and to buy laptops and other devices that will be subgranted to local libraries and community partners.

Concerns and committee questions - Several legislators pressed about making a multi-year federal program part of the ongoing state base. Chairman Grohl and other members asked whether the $2.5 million should be treated as one-time spending rather than rolled into the base if federal funding ends. Dupree and Bailey White said the federal award can be spent across multiple years and that the commission is requesting ongoing authority because more federal notices of award are expected; they also said the committee may choose to appropriate the money on a one-time basis. - Senator Carlson asked for an itemized breakdown of how digital-access money will be used and Dupree offered to follow up with more details. Bailey White said she will provide spending details and a plan for the remaining years of the grant.

Summer reading and materials - The commission said summer-reading programs for children have been funded through ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds in recent years, routed through the commission’s miscellaneous revenue fund. Bailey White said the commission does not fund summer reading at scale but provides manuals, posters and a limited number of paperback books used as incentives. - Bailey White identified a donation from the Scottish Rite Foundation of $17,500 this year to support paperback book giveaways and said the commission supplied books to libraries instead of nonbook trinkets. The commission said 107,000 children participated in Idaho public-library summer-reading programs last year — a 30% increase from the prior year. - On concerns about inappropriate materials, Bailey White and other legislators said the commission curates materials and provides collection-development guidance to local libraries. Bailey White said the commission’s youth services consultant selects the donated books using criteria tied to the commission’s collection-development policy. Senators said the commission removed certain items in the past and revised its policies to comply with state obscenity laws.

How grants will be awarded - Bailey White described the subgrant process as competitive and rubric-driven. Applications will be scored and ranked; NTIA and NIST will review and may require changes before federal approval. The commission will execute contracts with subgrantees and monitor progress.

What remains unresolved - The committee asked for a more detailed spending plan and past-expenditure reports for the digital-access grants and for a breakdown of summer-reading materials and distribution methods. Dupree and Bailey White committed to providing follow-up materials to the committee.

Ending note: Bailey White said the commission is coordinating closely with the Idaho Broadband Office and other partners to implement the program. “We were delayed, we’ve had some reappropriations, working with a new federal agency,” she told the committee, adding that the commission is eager to begin direct services and subgrants to Idaho communities.