[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 58 (Thursday, March 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 14734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7713]


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NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES


Institute of Museum and Library Services; Library Service Grant 
to PREL/FAS

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Section 221(b)(3)(C) Special Rule of the Library Services and 
Technology Act (LSTA) states that the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services (IMLS) Director shall award grants to the Pacific Territories 
and Freely Associated States (FAS) on a competitive basis and pursuant 
to recommendations from the Pacific Region Educational Laboratory 
(PREL) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Act allows IMLS to compensate PREL for 
administrative expenses. (PREL has been renamed Pacific Resources for 
Education and Learning.) This notice provides guidance on 
administration of FY98 PREL/FAS LSTA grants.

ADDRESSES: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Office of Library 
Services, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20506.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jane Heiser, Director of State Grants at the address given above, 
telephone (202) 606-5226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. For projects funded under the LSTA, the Pacific Territories/FAS 
shall be administered by PREL.
    2. The PREL Program Officer will attend training at IMLS on the 
program and fiscal requirements.
    3. PREL, after consultation with the Territories and Freely 
Associated States, shall submit a plan to the Institute of Museum and 
Library Services Director describing the administration of the program.
    4. Excepting GU and CNMI, grantees will not receive formula grants 
since they are ineligible under the general funding of the Act. Awards 
for the competitive grants will be a combination of a basic grant 
amount based on a formula and a competitive/discretionary process.
    5. Formula grants will be based on population (or a percentage of 
each allotment).
    6. The balance of each allotment would be open for discretionary 
applications from the appropriate entity (the territorial/FAS library).
    7. Activities eligible for assistance are those listed under the 
LSTA.
    8. Funds will be used only for the purposes of the LSTA.
    9. A library in a Territory or a Freely Associated State that 
receives a grant under the LSTA is subject to all laws, regulations, 
and requirements applicable to this program.
    10. To compete for a discretionary grant, a territorial/FAS library 
shall submit an application to PREL for consideration. The application 
is to be in accordance with deadlines and other administrative 
procedures established by PREL.
    11. Prior to submission of the application, the territorial/FAS 
library would coordinate, regarding the development of the application, 
with appropriate educational agencies, institutions, and organizations 
that are in the Territory or Freely Associated State and that serve its 
area.
    12. In determining the order of selection for awards under the 
LSTA, the IMLS Director considers the recommendations of PREL, based on 
selection criteria established by PREL, which will include an 
evaluation plan.
    13. The IMLS Director may require a grantee to submit reports 
containing information the Director finds necessary to carry out the 
Director's functions under the LSTA.
    14. At the end of the fiscal year the PREL will collect and 
abstract the annual reports of the activities supported under LSTA for 
submission to the IMLS Director.
    15. PREL, in consultation with the IMLS Office of Library Services, 
will include training programs for grantees.
Mamie Bittner,
Director, Public and Legislative Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-7713 Filed 3-25-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7036-01-M