Instructions for Completing the LSTA Application for the
Preservation Assessment Program
 Note: Please read through all these instructions before writing the grant proposal. You may want to use the comments
under each narrative section in these instructions as an initial outline for your responses.
COVER SHEET
Please complete all the information requested on the cover sheet. Two signatures are necessary on the cover
sheet, that of the chairperson of the governing authority and the director of the contracting agency. The
Governing Authority can be the Board of Trustees, Principal or Superintendent of a School, College
President or Board of Directors.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Population of municipality/ community: Provide the number of individuals residing in this area,
whether or not your project will actually serve them. Use as current a source for your numbers as
possible to identify it.

U.S. Congressional District: Enter the number of the federal congressional district(s) (1-9) in which
the major part of project activities will take place.

Number in Target Group: Please be optimistic but realistic about the number of people you are
actually expecting to serve with your project.

Total Current Library Budget: Provide the total operating expenditures for the previous fiscal year.

Number of FTE Library Staff: To get this number, take the total number of hours worked weekly
by all staff (except custodial staff) and divide by 35.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
1.
1A: Description of Service Area: Describe the entire area for which the contracting agency provides
services. Be as specific as possible to its geographic location, economic characteristics, etc.
1B. Relationship to Your Long Range Plan: While just obtaining funding for a preservation survey is
desirable, it is important that the process be related to the library’s overall goals and objectives.
Therefore, it is important to indicate how a preservation survey would assist in furthering the
library’s goals and objectives. Please be specific in explaining how such a survey will accomplish this.
It is important actually to cite the appropriate section of the LRP.
2. Collection Description: In the “Critical Collections Questionnaire,” the staff identified collections
considered to be “at risk” or “in need of preservation.” To strengthen this application, please detail
the importance of these collections, at whatever level (i.e. local, regional, state) and describe how a
preservation assessment will assist in developing a program to prolong the life of these materials.
OVER
3. Intellectual Control and Preservation Activities: Materials collected but not cataloged or processed
(arranged and described) do not serve the researcher. Moreover, it is difficult to determine what
preservation steps need to be taken on collections that are unavailable because of being unorganized.
Therefore, it is important to give a detailed explanation of all access points available for these
collections and reasons why those not cataloged or processed have not been done.
Even prior to obtaining a preservation assessment, many institutions have taken steps to safeguard
and/or preserve their collections. These steps may include housing local history/special collections
in a separate room, not allowing these materials to circulate, keeping the lights low or off when the
room is not being used, trying to maintain a climate-controlled environment, participating in the
MBLC’s Environmental Monitoring Program, etc. Please be clear about what steps have actually
been undertaken. If nothing has been done, and you are applying to learn about steps that can be
taken, please state this.
This question really has two parts. In the first part, please describe the physical, environmental,
storage, and security conditions that exist in the building as a whole. Then, in the second part,
describe these conditions for the local history/special collections room itself. If there are
differences, please delineate. If they are the same, please note this as well.
4. Goals of the Grant: This is an important question because a preservation assessment will do
nothing by itself. The results and recommendations must be acted upon for there to be an impact on
the collections’ longevity. Developing a Preservation Long Range Plan will help move things along
the path of accomplishing the recommendations, but concrete steps need to be considered right
from the beginning. Please be as detailed as you can about what you hope to accomplish.
In the long run, the main reasons to implement a preservation program are to prolong the life of the
materials, to ensure that they survive, and to make them available to researchers. Therefore, how will
this grant affect the availability and use of the materials by researchers?
5. Support: Building support for undertaking a new project is important. In this case having a
preservation assessment will enable you to apply for other LSTA grants. If you develop support for
your actions now, then that might be easier to accomplish in the future. Make sure that you obtain
substantive letters of support from these individuals or organizations.