[lstac] Easy process for ordering lots of supplies for libraries?!

[Reish, Karren (MDE)]

I am also interested in this and have the same issues/questions. Would anyone be willing to meet to discuss whose worked on how to deal with this? I'm going to have to restart our summer grant program for next summer and would love an easier way to do it for both myself and my libraries.

Karren Reish
Library Grants Coordinator
Library of Michigan
517-241-0021 / www.mi.gov/lsta<http://www.mi.gov/lsta>

From: lstac <lstac-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> On Behalf Of Baffoni, Nicolette (OLIS) via lstac
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 4:49 PM
To: LSTA Coordinators Listserv <lstac at omls.oregon.gov>
Subject: [lstac] Easy process for ordering lots of supplies for libraries?!

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Hi Everyone,

We're considering providing more prescriptive summer reading programming to our libraries with our LSTA funds to replace our current non-competitive programming grants for hands-on learning experiences. Those grants are only for $900 and many of our libraries feel they are too much work for the money. We are considering developing something like program kits/programs in a box, with a program description/script/lesson designed by us, the program supplies and perhaps some supplemental books to support the program and ideas for how to use them in the context of the program, etc. etc.

If we give the libraries the funds to purchase our predetermined supplies and books, we still have to do that as grants with the same state-mandated process and administrative burden that they have now, minus the creative thinking of designing their own programs. That helps some but I worry libraries would have their same old issues with using our GMS and reporting and requesting funds that we have now. We would love to just purchase it all ourselves and ship it out to libraries, but then we're looking at difficult procurement processes, going out to bid for supplies, and so on. In the past we built circulating kits for ourselves by giving a grant to the large public library that operates our statewide databases; they did the ordering for us, but we found that process frustrating since we had no control over the ordering process, no insight into shipping, and in the end we found communication was lacking and that the library just generally lacked the capacity to handle this extra project.

I know procurement and purchasing rules are different in every state, but has anyone ever done anything like this and figured out a fairly simple, reasonable, perhaps creative way to get supplies to libraries?

Thanks!
Nicolette


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Nicolette Baffoni

Library Program Manager

Office of Library & Information Services

State of Rhode Island | Department of Administration

One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI  02908

401-574-9316 | www.olis.ri.gov<http://www.olis.ri.gov/>






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