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IMLS orients state library coordinators on Grants to States systems, timelines and financial rules ahead of conference
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Summary
Institute of Museum and Library Services staff briefed incoming and new LSTA coordinators on the Grants to States program history, required systems (eGMS, SPR), financial rules including a 34% match and MOE, reporting deadlines (QGARS), records retention, and conference logistics.
Terry DeVoe, associate deputy director for the Grants to States program at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), opened a virtual orientation for new and returning LSTA coordinators with an overview of conference logistics and where to find program resources.
IMLS presenters reviewed the Grants to States program history and the systems grantees must use. Laura McKenzie, program specialist, traced federal library funding from the 1956 Library Services Act and the 1962 Library Services and Construction Act to the 1996 shift into the Library Services and Technology Act under the Museum and Library Services Act. McKenzie listed core systems and identifiers: the State Program Report (SPR) is the program’s reporting system of record; eGMS is IMLS’s electronic grants management system; Reach is the messaging tool inside eGMS; Login.gov is required for access; and grantees must be registered in SAM.gov to obtain a unique entity ID (UEI). McKenzie also said IMLS assigns the Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN) and that the employer identification number (EIN) appears in eGMS.
Staff emphasized key compliance and financial rules that states must follow. McKenzie noted the LSTA match requirement at 34% of the program budget and described maintenance of effort (MOE) as a statutory requirement to maintain state contributions averaged over three fiscal years. Cindy reviewed quarterly grant accrual reporting (QGARs), saying grantees must email grant numbers and accrual totals no later than four business days after the end of each quarter. On records retention, presenters cited the program’s five‑year package of documents and said records must be kept until three years after the last expenditure report, referencing “2 CFR 200 dot 3 34” as presented during the session.
Dennis and other presenters walked through practical system guidance for SPR: IMLS issues SPR user accounts and assigns permissions by role (LSTA coordinator, fiscal officer, project data entry). Dennis recommended Chrome or Edge for working in SPR, warned against opening multiple SPR tabs to avoid data-save conflicts, and highlighted SPR PDF/export features to view prior reports. For communications, staff told attendees to use eGMS for record-level correspondence and payment requests while reserving some items for SPR; the team also noted the equipment threshold for eGMS equipment requests is changing from $5,000 to $10,000, with details to follow.
The orientation pointed attendees to key resources: the Grants to States Manual (with allotment tables, award cycle calendar, and reporting guidance), the Grama Cycle Calendar for overlapping deadlines, the site visit checklist (updated in 2023), and the LSTAC listserv for peer questions. Staff encouraged new coordinators to contact their assigned program officer early with issues and to make use of mentor volunteers drawn from experienced coordinators.
Presenters also clarified the award timing that creates overlapping open awards: an award’s start date is Oct. 1 and it ends two years later on Sept. 30. The session closed with a short quiz of orientation topics, reminders about upcoming conference sessions (including a financial boot camp and an Office of Research and Evaluation session on CARES/ARPA findings), and instructions that slides and a condensed handout would be shared in the chat and posted online. The formal recording was then stopped, and attendees were invited to remain for informal follow-up.
