STATE LIBRARY ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT $14 MILLION PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION GRANT PROGRAM

State Librarian Bernard A. Margolis announced this week that New York State Library staff members Mary Linda Todd and Elizabeth Carrature will together manage the $14 million Public Library Construction Grant Program beginning Thursday August 26, 2010. Education Program Assistant Kim Anderson, who currently provides assistance and support for the program, will continue in that role. Grace Kelly, construction grant program manager, is retiring on Wednesday August 25.

Ms. Todd will provide general oversight of and leadership for the construction grant program. Her primary responsibility will be to ensure that the 170 some matching construction grant projects awarded annually by the New York State Library to public libraries and systems are awarded in accordance with applicable State laws and regulations and in accordance with State procurement policies, procedures and timelines. Ms. Carrature will manage the day-to-day aspects of the grant program. She will work directly with the public library systems and construction grant recipients, providing application and project review and technical assistance. She has supported the Construction Program in 2010, by facilitating this year’s Construction Grant Workshop webinar.

Ms. Todd is the Team Leader for the Division of Library Development's Technology and Resources Sharing Team as well as the State Library's federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Coordinator and the State Library's liaison to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A grants expert, Ms. Todd most recently led New York's successful effort to procure a $9.5 million federal ARRA NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) Public Computer Center grant award from the Department of Commerce.

Ms. Carrature, a member of the Technology and Resource Sharing Team, also has extensive experience working with grant programs. As a Library Development Specialist, she assists Ms. Todd in managing the State Library’s Gates Foundation Grants, as well as the BTOP Public Computer Center grant. Ms. Carrature developed and maintains the State Library’s Information Lifelines website. She also led the State Library’s partnership initiative with the University Of Washington’s 2009 project involving their technology use impact study and is responsible for the State Library’s library careers website. Ms. Carrature has past experience with the renovation of historic properties.

Beginning August 26, questions about the $14 million Public Library Construction Grant program may be directed to Elizabeth Carrature, Library Development Specialist, Division of Library Development, New York State Library at ecarratu@mail.nysed.gov . For more information about New York State’s $14 million public library construction grant program please visit here. The deadline for submission of 2010-2011 grant applications from the public library systems to the New York State Library is Friday, September 24, 2010.