§286b–6 Grants and contracts for establishment of regional medical libraries

Summary

A federal official, after getting advice from the Board, must give grants and make contracts with existing public or private nonprofit medical libraries so each can act as the regional medical library for its area. The money can be used to buy books and journals, prepare and repair materials, get equipment like copiers, hire staff and set up fast ways to send materials to local libraries, and plan services. Libraries getting money must agree to grow and share their collections, help other libraries in the region, lend materials free to qualified users, and provide photocopies or faxed copies that qualified requesters can keep. The official will give priority to libraries most able to serve a region, based on their collections, staff, equipment, facilities, and the size and type of the population served. Grants for basic materials cannot exceed 50 percent of the library’s annual operating expenses (not counting federal aid under this program) for the previous year. For the first year of a grant, the limit is 50 percent of the library’s average yearly operating expenses over the past three years, or a Secretary-determined amount if the library is less than three years old.