Alaska Public Library Report System

Alaska Public Libraries Annual Report

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

Financial Concerns

Q: What’s the difference between library operating expenditures and capital expenditures?

A: Local accounting practices determines this.  In general:

• Library operating expenditures are current and ongoing costs necessary to support library services.  This includes staff expenditures, collection materials, supplies, programming costs, utilities, building maintenance, etc.
• Capital expenditures are one-time only or extraordinary expenditures.  These are major capital expenditures such as the acquisition of or additions to fixed assets.  This can include furnishings, equipment, initial book stock for new buildings, building additions or renovations, library automation systems, and new vehicles.  Most governing authorities have capital thresholds that may help you determine how to classify expenditures.  Be sure to check with city and/or borough accounting or financial staff, or board treasurer. 

Q: We have a brand-new director who started during the reporting year.  Who should be cited as the Director in this report?

A: We ask for current contact information in Part 2, so the current (new) director will be the name on the document and signature page.    

Q: Where are grants from the Alaska State Library (ASL) reported on the report?

A: ASL will prefill grant awards for the PLA grant (4-2a), ILC grants (4-2b or 4-3a), OWL broadband assistance (4-2c), and CE grants (4-3b).   If your library received a grant from another agency the amount will be entered at 4-2c for state grants, 4-3c for federal grants, and 4-4b for non-profit or privately funded grants.  Please note where the funds come from for each grant as this helps the Alaska State Library learn of valuable grant opportunities available.   

Q: Where should we report E-rate funds?

A: The E-Rate reimbursements for telecommunications are not included in this report.  This is a federal discount program which reimburses costs, not grant funds which are being given out.  If your library received OWL broadband awards, they would already be included under State Government Revenue. 

Q: If our Friends of the Library paid for summer programming, should that amount be reported?

A: No.  Only the expenditures and revenues which come through the library’s budget should be included in this report. 

Q:  Should we have our Friends of the Library or donors pay directly for programming, or should they give us the funds to pay for programs?

A: This is a decision which must be made on a local level.  Just keep in mind that only Friends revenue paid directly to the library can be reported and the expenditures made from them by the library can count as local funding under All Other Operating Revenue.

Q: We wrote a grant for funds to add to our collection, do we have to report that amount?

A: If grant funds were received and expended by the library, those amounts should be included in the report.

Q:  If funds weren’t paid to the library, but instead went straight to paying a vendor, do we report that amount?

A: No.  If grant funds do not come through the library directly, they should not be included in this report. 

Q: Our Friends group maintains a separate bank account for our library and the funds aren’t deposited into a city account.  Where do we report those funds?

A: You will not report that funding or purchases made from that account in this report.

Q: The library received almost $500 in donated books.  Where would that be reported?

A: It is not included in this report; only actual expenditures made by the library are included. 

Q: Our library uses volunteer hours to meet our match requirement, how do we report their value on the report?

A: Mark that your library met the $7000 match requirement at the end of Section Four.  The volunteer amount is automatically calculated in section three when the total hours the library was open is entered in section fourteen. 

Q: Where would gifts, donations, memorial funds from individuals be reported?

A: Cash donations, gifts, and memorials are reported in questions 4-4a, All Other Operating Revenue. 

 

Population Assignments/Legal Service Area

Q: Why is my legal service area different than the Census?

A: The legal service area is based on the yearly estimates created by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

 

Statistical Measures

Q: How do you count a visitor that comes in twice a day?

A: Library visits, or the gate count, should be recorded any time anyone comes into the library, for any purpose.  This includes staff, and visitors who may leave and come in again.  If someone comes in twice, that counts as two visits.  Depending on your method of counting visitors, there could be a formula to use so door counts are closer to the actual number of people visiting the library. 

Q: My library is a designated polling place, do I count the voters who come in?

A: If the library services as a polling place, and the voters come into the library to vote, rather than a hallway or meeting room adjacent to the library door, then those voters will be counted as Library visits.  The voting does not count as a program, as it is not sponsored nor presented by the library. 

Q: How should we count a tax assistance program?

A: If this is conducted inside the library, then those using this service are counted in Library Visits.  This will not be included in Library Programs, nor should these visitors be counted in Program Attendance, since this is not a library sponsored program. 

Q: Do we count all the books on Alaska Digital Library, or only the ebooks we buy?

A: Count all eBooks to which your patrons have access, whether selected by the consortium, or the library, not just what is purchased or selected by the library. 

Q: How do we count books that aren’t on Alaska Digital Library?

A:  This will depend on what service you are using for e-materials.  Often, unless you are part of a consortium provides access to the platform, you will need to contact the service directly to ask for numbers.  Contact me if you have additional questions about counting materials.         

Q: How do we answer the new Electronic Collections Questions?

A: The State Library will answer all State of Alaska (7-xc) questions for the library.  You are responsible for answering “yes” or “no” for all 7-Xa and 7-Xb questions.  It wouldn’t hurt to look over what the Alaska State Library answered to correct mistakes.   

Q: Where do we report programs that target families?

A:  On the report there is an “Other/Family/All Ages” program section.  If you have a program with no specific target age range, such as a family program, it would be report in this question. 

Q:  How are “passive” or self-directed programs reported?  Ex. take and make/craftkits/storywalks

A: This type of programming is not included in the Annual Report.  We encourage libraries to track and monitor the information for presentation to local stakeholders—especially if a local business financially supported some or all the supplies.  However, there are so many different types of programs and services in the library that we could not possibly begin to list them all.  This report is more of a snapshot than a comprehensive analysis. 

 

Technology Questions

Q: We leave our Wi-Fi on 24 hours a day so people can access it when the library is closed.  How do we report this?

A: Count the Wi-Fi sessions the same way you would have before leaving the Wi-Fi on for 24 hours.  Those sessions would be found on the library’s router, through IT if available, or through the library’s WhoFi account. 

Q: Do we report our Wi-Fi logins and if so, where do we get that info?

A:  Question 12-4 for the total number of sessions, if available.  This information is generally collected by specialized software on the library’s router, through City/Muni/Borough IT, or through the library’s WhoFi account. 

Q: Our library uses WhoFi, how do I access the number of wireless sessions?

A: All public libraries who are enrolled in WhoFi’s wireless session counting has a username and password.  Contact the OWL Program Coordinator at: eed.owlprogram@alaska.gov if you need help logging into your WhoFi account. 

 

A big thank you to the Texas State Library for sharing their FAQ document where many questions for this FAQ came from.  If you want to submit a question to be included on an updated FAQ please email eed.library.grants@alaska.gov.