Acknowledging your grant is a small but powerful way to communicate the scope and influence of public libraries in Maryland and nationwide. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an important federal agency and it is the only one dedicated to supporting libraries and museums in the United States. Displaying the logos and including the correct acknowledgments with your finished grant projects helps to tell the story of the community-centered work created by libraries. This acknowledgment is also required by the grant contract that is signed by the library system director.
All grants received from the Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA) and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences need to be acknowledged by including logos, a credit line, and a grant number if possible. This information needs to be displayed on the final product which could be a brochure, website, strategic plan, or story walk. Acknowledgments should also be added to any public signage funded by LSTA funds. If the grant included the purchase of computers or wifi hotspots, please create a sticker that can be attached to all items. All final products are included in the State Program Report that the Maryland State Library Agency completes annually for IMLS. Please include a digital file or photograph of any final product with your final report.
IMLS acknowledgment instructions may be found here.
Maryland State Library Agency logo and acknowledgment instructions may be found here.
Examples of Correct Acknowledgment
"This project was funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Maryland State Library Agency."
"Grant number 521341 was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Maryland State Library Agency."
Vehicle Wrap Examples of Acknowledgments
Wicomico County Public Libraries has created a wrap for their new outreach vehicle with an eye-catching wrap that includes acknowledgment of the funding they have received from the Maryland State Library Agency and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Here is a detail of the acknowledgments. A special thank you to Wicomico County Public Libraries and Aurelio Gianitti for allowing us to use their design as an example of correct acknowledgments of their grant award.
