[lstac] Complaint policies and procedures around use of Grants to States funds

Thu Oct 2 11:31:38 PDT 2025

Here's Maryland's which I wrote a few years back-- it is purposefully very
general:

*Complaint Policy*
Complaints about the LSTA program may be forwarded to the LSTA Grants
Coordinator who will prepare a response that is then reviewed and approved
by the PLSNB Branch Director. The request is then reviewed and approved by
the State Librarian who will respond to the request. Copies of the
complaint and response are retained in the LSTA files per Federal
requirements.

Best,

Mary

p.s.-- we have never had a complaint that I am aware of.

On Thu, Oct 2, 2025 at 2:27 PM Maura Walsh via lstac <lstac at omls.oregon.gov>
wrote:

> Hi Lyndsay,
>
> We add this to our grant guidelines:
>
> *Appeal Procedure*
>
> Applicants whose projects are not awarded a grant may submit a written
> request for an informal, fair hearing before the State Librarian. A hearing
> will be held only if it is alleged that the State Library has violated a
> statutory or regulatory provision in the awarding of a grant. An appeal
> that challenges the final evaluation score of the application will not be
> accepted.
>
> We don’t have any other process or policy in place for complaints, but I
> know that our informal, unwritten policy is that we will answer each
> inquiry and respond in every case. If you develop something, I’d be
> interested in seeing it. It might be a good idea to post something on our
> website alongside other policies. *What could possibly go wrong?* 😊
>
>
>
> Best,
> Maura
>
>
>
> *Maura Walsh, MLIS* (she/her/hers)
>
> *Grants Manager and LSTA Coordinator  *
>
> *New Jersey State Library*
>
> *P: *(609) 278-2640 x136
>
> *E. *mwalsh at njstatelib.org
>
> *W. *www.njstatelib.org
>
> 185 West State Street
>
> P.O. Box 520, Trenton, NJ  08625
>
>
>
> [image: A blue state outline and text AI-generated content may be
> incorrect.]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* lstac <lstac-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> *On Behalf Of *Erica
> McCormick via lstac
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 2, 2025 2:07 PM
> *To:* Forbes, Lyndsay (BLC) <lyndsay.forbes at mass.gov>; LSTA Coordinators
> Listserv <lstac at omls.oregon.gov>
> *Subject:* Re: [lstac] Complaint policies and procedures around use of
> Grants to States funds
>
>
>
> Hi, Lindsay.
>
>
>
> Our agency has a protest procedure (appeals process) that we use for
> everything, but we highlight it for grants, including it in our NOFO and
> with the awards/recommendations.
>
>
>
> It’s part of our administrative code and can be found here: *13 TAC §2.55
> <https://texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com/rules-and-meetings?$locale=en_US&interface=VIEW_TAC_SUMMARY&queryAsDate=10%2F02%2F2025&recordId=216950>*
>
>
>
> Use what you can.
>
>
>
> Erica
>
>
>
> Erica A. McCormick, MLIS
>
> Manager, Grants and Accreditation | Library Development & Networking
>
> *Texas State Library and Archives Commission *
>
> 512-463-5532 | 512-701-5714 (cell) | 800-252-9386 toll-free in TX|
> www.tsl.texas.gov
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* lstac <lstac-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> *On Behalf Of *Forbes,
> Lyndsay (BLC) via lstac
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 2, 2025 12:28 PM
> *To:* LSTA Coordinators Listserv <lstac at omls.oregon.gov>
> *Subject:* [lstac] Complaint policies and procedures around use of Grants
> to States funds
>
>
>
> Good afternoon,
>
>
>
> Currently the only written policy we have around our use of Grants to
> States funds is for subgrants. It is essentially an appeal process for
> those not recommended for funding. There is nothing outside of that for our
> agency. If you have any broader complaint policies you use for your G2S
> funds, I'd appreciate if you could pass them along. Just looking for
> develop something more comprehensive!
>
>
>
> Thank you!
>
>
>
> Lyndsay Forbes
>
> Project Manager and Grants Specialist
>
> Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
>
> Office: 617-725-1860 ext. 252
>
> Mobile: 857-488-6616
>
>
>
>
>

-- 

*Mary Rayme (she/her)Grants CoordinatorMaryland State Library Agency*
25 S. Charles Street, Suite 1310
Baltimore, MD 21201
maryp.rayme1 at maryland.gov
443-515-1666 (cell)

Click here <https://msla.maryland.gov/Pages/home.aspx> to visit the
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