Facilities & Capital Improvements
This page is the ICfL’s hub for resources related to library facilities and capital improvement projects. Whether you’re creating a building maintenance schedule, thinking of remodeling your children’s programming area, or building a whole new library, this is a good place to start.
Please check back regularly, as we are still growing and expanding these resources! If you have any questions or needs that aren’t addressed here, please reach out to us so we can connect you with the resources and support you need.
Resources
Facilities Webinar Series
Is your library considering a remodel, expansion, or new building? Whether you are just beginning your journey and need to know where to start, or you are currently living in a construction zone and wondering how offer services, we’ve got a webinar for you.
The ICfL is excited to be working in partnership with Library Strategies to offer a series of eight webinars covering various aspects of facilities and capital improvement projects, from needs assessment to construction to grand (re)opening and everything in between. Although special focus will be made on small and rural public libraries, all libraries are welcome to attend. These webinars are free of charge and open to the entire Idaho library community. However, registration is required. If you can’t make a webinar that interests you, don’t worry! They will all be recorded, and the recording, slides, and resources will be posted after each webinar.
Each webinar will take place at 10am MT/ 9am PT. Please visit the event listing for each individual webinar for details and registration:
Manuals & Guidelines
The following manuals and guidelines provide helpful information and guidance for libraries who are considering or undertaking a major facility project (remodel, expansion, new building, etc).These documents have been vetted by the ICfL and are being made freely available to Public Libraries (city and district) in Idaho.
by the Connecticut State Library
These resources are designed to help libraries and trustees obtain a general estimate of their library’s space needs and help initiate a larger facility planning process. Free to any one.
2023 Idaho Procurement Manual
Each year, the Association of Idaho Cities publishes an updated procurement manual designed to acquaint Idaho’s city officials with the procedures and requirements related to the acquisition of goods, services, and public works construction in compliance with Idaho law. This manual is intended to acquaint Idaho’s city officials with procedures and requirements for the acquisition of goods, services and public works construction in compliance with Idaho law. Procedures vary for bidding on public works; for purchasing materials and supplies unrelated to public works; and for purchasing architectural, engineering or landscape architectural services. There are also different thresholds that determine whether a city can make purchases without going out for bid. Cities should establish sound policies and processes in the pursuit of efficient and cost-effective procurement that will result in the most beneficial outcome for the city. The overarching theme is practicing good stewardship of public resources.
The ICfL is providing up to one copy per legal entity of the manual to city and district public libraries. Additional copies of the manual may be purchased on the AIC website at https://idahocities.org/store/
About the AIC
The Association of Idaho Cities was formed in 1947 and is a nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation that serves Idaho’s 199 cities. AIC advocates on behalf of cities, and provides education, training and assistance to strengthen the ability of city elected officials and staff to serve their communities. Find out more about them and their work by visiting their website at https://idahocities.org/
Facilities Improvement Grants
The Facilities Improvement Grant provides awards to libraries to renovate, enhance, or expand spaces to jointly and directly enable work, education, and health monitoring. A second round of reduced funding is available in 2025 to current Facilities Improvement Grant recipients. These awards are made possible with funds from the US Department of the Treasury Capital Projects Fund (Assistance Listing Number 21.029 CPF).
Grant Period: April 15, 2025 – August 15, 2026, or 60 days following final expenditure, whichever occurs first. Projects must be substantially complete and operational by August 15, 2026.
Interim Reports Due: Quarterly (September 30, December 31, March 31, June 30) Reports are due on the final day of the quarter and should reflect activity occurring during that quarter. For example, activity occurring between October 1 and December 31, should be reflected in the quarterly report submitted by December 31. The first quarterly report will be due June 30, 2025.
Final Report Due: 60 days following the final expenditure, or October 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.
In 2025 the Idaho Commission for Libraries will award approximately $175,000 in funding to recipients of the 2023 Facilities Improvement Grant. Libraries may apply for $5,000 to $50,000 for projects that complement, or add on to their original project. Funds must be used for the construction or improvement of buildings designed to jointly and directly enable work, education, and health monitoring in communities with critical need for the project. The subgrant application process will be competitive, however it is only open to original grant recipients.
Funding Source & Citation:
Capital Projects Fund CFDA # 21.029 (CPF) —Public Law 117-2. Title III Section 604 of the ARP Act (ARPA) established the Capital Projects Fund and provides $10 billion for Treasury to make payments to States, Tribes, Territories, and Freely Associated States to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring including remote options in response to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19.
Funds must be used for the construction or improvement of buildings.
Funded projects must be substantially complete by August 2026. This means that the project is ready to fulfill the primary objectives that it was designed to perform, delivering services to end users.
Funded projects must remain in operations and available to the public for no less than five years after the close of the grant period.
Funded projects must be designed to jointly and directly enable the three areas of work, education, and health monitoring in communities with critical need for the project (although these activities need not be the exclusive function or purpose of the project). Here are the federal definitions of these activities:
- Work: Activities to help community members engage in employment, search for employment, and/or develop the skills and knowledge to become employed (e.g., participate in career counseling programs, workforce training courses, job searches, etc.).
- Education: Activities to acquire knowledge and/or skills, undertaken as part of a person’s participation in (but not limited to) school, an academic program, extra-curricular activity, social-emotional development program, internship, or professional development program.
- Health Monitoring: Services to monitor an individual’s physical or mental health. These can include, but are not limited to, telehealth appointments and community health screening programs.
Allowable costs include those incurred to create, enhance, or expand the usable permanent interior or exterior space of the library, such that these improvements allow the library to meet one or more of following objectives:
- Accommodate a greater number of patrons in the conduct of qualifying programs and services, including (but not limited to) expanding the existing interior footprint of the facility or creating outdoor programming areas.
- Accommodate a wider variety of uses related to work, education, and health monitoring, including (but not limited to) the creation of private, digitally enabled spaces for telehealth, job interviews, virtual training, and studying; the creation of flexible-use programming spaces; and creating or expanding spaces for the storage of related program supplies.
- Accommodate a larger number and type of resources related to work, education, and health monitoring, including (but not limited to) the space and shelving to house expanded collections, both print and electronic.
- Upgrade digital infrastructure (such as cables, networking equipment and hardware, power supplies and transformers, switch boxes, and connection points) to enhance the capacity of the library to support emerging and future technology and prevent obsolescence.
What are some examples of qualifying projects?
Qualifying projects can range from small ($5,000) improvements to major ($500,000) expansions. Examples include:
- Adding/removing/moving interior walls
- Adding a new room to an existing building
- Conducting repairs to an otherwise unusable or unsuitable portion of a building
- Purchasing new equipment or furniture to make existing or new spaces fully functional
- Upgrading a building’s electrical wiring to accommodate new or expanded technology
Also allowable are costs related to carrying out the project, such as architectural reviews, professional services, and staff time spent planning and coordinating the project.
What are some examples of projects that aren’t allowable?
Projects that are not allowable include normal upkeep and maintenance, as well as changes that don’t improve or enhance how the space is used. This includes upgrades that are primarily cosmetic in nature (such as repainting a wall) and expenses normally associated with the regular upkeep and maintenance of an existing facility (such as a new roof or new siding).
Maintenance and repair expenses are allowable if they are necessary as part of a larger project to enhance or expand the library’s facilities – for example if the library must replace a portion of the roof in order to build out a new addition.
Do programming and collection development costs qualify?
This grant is not intended to support programming or collection development costs, except where those costs are directly related to meeting the requirement for work, education, and health monitoring in the space being enhance/created. These types of costs will be given lower priority in the overall consideration of proposed projects.
My library’s project is expensive. Will the ICfL consider a partial award if it is unable to fund our full request?
Yes, we will consider partial funding in cases where we wish to support a project but are unable to award the entire amount requested. In these cases, we will contact applicants in advance of issuing a grant agreement to determine if they wish to accept a reduced amount.
Can we combine this grant with other funding to carry out our project?
Yes. Funds from this grant can be combined with funds from other public and private sources to carry out your project. However, to qualify for this grant, the project must be substantially complete by August 2026, regardless of other funding sources. Substantial completion is defined as the date by which the project can fulfill the primary operations that it was designed to perform, including delivering services to end-users. At substantial completion, service operations and management systems infrastructure must be operational.
What are some ways my library can meet the requirement to jointly and directly enable work, education, and health monitoring?
Your library may already be supporting many of these activities! Some examples include hosting public programming like community health screenings, educational and literacy programming, and workforce training classes.
Other examples include establishing private spaces within the library to accommodate telehealth appointments and meetings with case workers or Department of Labor job services counselors.
Libraries may also use grant funds to create additional space or purchase shelving and equipment to house an expanded collection of print, electronic, and other resources related to work, education, and health monitoring.
If you are unsure whether your project meets this requirement, please contact us so we can answer your questions.
What if I still have questions about whether my library’s project qualifies?
Reach out to discuss your plans! You may be surprised to find your project qualifies. Contact Development Services Program Supervisor Talela Florko at (208) 639-4164 or talela.florko@libraries.idaho.gov.
Are there any other federal requirements associated with this grant, such as Davis-Bacon wages or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)?
- Davis-Bacon: This law does not apply to any project that is funded solely with this grant. However, if your project is supported with any other federal funding, this rule may apply. The Treasury Department encourages recipients to incorporate strong labor standards that promote effective and efficient delivery of high-quality projects but that also support the economic recovery through strong employment opportunities for workers. Treasury further encourages recipients to prioritize employers (including contractors and subcontractors) without recent violations of federal and state labor/employment laws.
- NEPA & Other Environmental Rules: For a full list of applicable federal environmental rules, please review this PDF provided by Treasury. With regards to NEPA specifically, this law does not apply to projects funded solely with this grant. However, if your project is supported with any other federal funding, this rule may apply.
Quarterly Update Reports (Due each quarter)
This report is due every three months on the last day of the quarter (December 31, March 31, June 30, September 30). Use the same form to submit your report each quarter.
Final Report (Due within 90 days of project completion)
This report is due within 90 days after the project is completed, or by November 15, 2026.
The ICfL awarded $3.25 million in grant funds to public libraries in 2023 for the purpose of improving and/or expanding library facilities. Below is a list of funded projects followed by details about the grant.
Cascade Public Library – $500,000
Clearwater County Free Library District (Weippe) – $107,000
Eagle Public Library – $15,000
Elk River Free Library District – $43,000
Emmett Public Library – $53,000
Garden City Public Library – $92,000
Hailey Public Library – $50,000
Homedale Library District – $19,000
Prairie River Library District (Lapwai Branch) – $200,000
South Bannock Library District (Inkom Branch) – $500,000
St. Maries Public Library – $500,000
Wilder Public Library District – $175,000
