TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Brian Ambrose, Community Services Director
PREPARED BY: Gretchen Sedlacek, Assistant Management Analyst - Library
SUBJECT:
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Application for eBooks For All Collection Development Grant 2025-2026
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RECOMMENDATION
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Authorize the Library’s grant application for the eBooks for All Collection Development Grant 2025-2026, in the amount of $20,000, with a required matched funding of 25% or $5,000; and
If awarded, amend the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Operating Budget as described in the fiscal impact statement; and
Authorize the City Manager to execute all grant-related documents.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On August 1, 2023, the City Council authorized the Library’s grant application for the eBooks for All Collection Development grant 2023-24 and authorized the City Manager to establish a revenue and expenditure budget, amending the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Operating Budget based on the actual award amount (Vote: 5-0).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Coordinate and deliver responsive, effective community services.
BACKGROUND
The California State Library invited public libraries to apply for funding to build a shared statewide collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks, accessible to every library in the state. The eBooks for All California Collection Development Grant’s goal is to help build the statewide eBook collection and develop a collection of materials that meets the diverse set of reading needs of all of California. The collection, currently consisting of over 150,000 copies of over 50,000 titles, is designed to meet the recreational and informational reading needs of California’s diverse communities.
Libraries can access the collection through the Palace App, an eReader aggregator that can browse and display materials from Overdrive, CloudLibrary, and other similar services. The eBooks for All: Palace Project not only includes materials inside the app but also a geo-located collection of materials that are all licensed for simultaneous use to anyone inside California, with or without a library card.
The Murrieta Public Library has been a part of the eBooks for All: Palace Project since 2023 and has made the platform available to the community. The Library is seeking to apply for $20,000 in grant funding to purchase additional eBooks for the Palace Project App, and the grant requires a matched funding of 25% or $5,000 that is currently budgeted from the Library’s regular collection development budget.
FISCAL IMPACT
If the grant is awarded, staff recommends that the City Council authorize an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Operating Budget to establish a revenue appropriation in Library Grant Fund Account 3570050-42221 and an expenditure appropriation in various expenditure accounts under general ledger 3570050. There is a local match requirement of 25% or $5,000 for participation in the eBooks for All Collection Development Grant Program.
ATTACHMENTS
1. eBooks for All Grant Application