ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Title II-A Grant Funds

The Office of Education has issued the following administrative bulletin clarifying the use of Fiscal Year 1972 Title II-A grant funds for necessary costs of acquisitions:

To: Institutions of higher education which were recipients of college library resources grants under Title II-A of the Higher Education Act in FY 1972

Subject: Administrative bulletin clarifying use of FY 1972 Title II-A grant funds for necessary costs of acquisition

1. On October 11, 1972, the Federal Register (vol. 37, no. 197, p. 21436-37) contained the following amendment affecting Title II-A:

Part 131 of Chapter I of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended by adding a new paragraph (u) to § 131.2, as follows:

§ 131.2 Definitions.

* * *

(u) “Acquisition of books and other materials to be used for library purposes” means the purchase, lease-purchase, or straight lease of such books and other materials and includes the necessary costs of ordering, processing, and cataloging such books and other materials and delivery of them to the initial place at which they are to be available for use. Such term does not include the rebinding or repair of such books and other materials.

2. This amended definition, in effect, now permits Title II-A grant funds to be used for ordering, processing, and cataloging costs as well as printed and published materials. Delivery costs from the supplier to the point of use are also eligible under this new definition.

3. The purpose of this Administrative Bulletin is to bring the new definition to your attention, and to clarify the terms and conditions under which any funds used for these new purposes are subject. They are as follows:

a. Such costs may include those costs incurred by the grant recipient for supplies, personal service, computer time, etc., necessary to make materials acquired readily available for library use;

b. Such costs may include those costs charged by a commercial firm when the grant recipient elects to have materials acquired cataloged and processed by an outside agency;

c. Such costs may include those costs charged by a noncommercial agency when the grant recipient elects to have materials acquired cataloged and processed by an outside library cooperative agency;

d. Purchase or rental of equipment (except for computer time) ordinarily would not be considered necessary costs.

e. Such costs should ordinarily exceed neither an average of $2.75 per volume or item acquired nor 20 percent of the total Title II-A grant awarded.

f. Such costs can be applied only to materials acquired with Title II-A grant funds;

g. Such costs must be reported to the Commissioner in the Annual Program and Expenditure Report for Title II-A and such financial records must be maintained as necessary to substantiate costs incurred in the event of a Federal fiscal audit.

4. The above amendment is effective as of October 11, 1972. Title II-A grant recipients in Fiscal Year 1972 may now, if they so determine, utilize grant funds for these purposes under the foregoing conditions.

5. Any further questions in this regard are to be directed to: Frank A. Stevens, acting program manager.

Approved: Burton E. Lamkin, associate commissioner, Bureau of Libraries and Learning Resources. ■ ■