Directions for Filing Your LSTA Application 

Select your grant from the list of the various grant categories and download it using the instructions on the webpage. This year, the application itself is in only one Microsoft Word file, rather than two files as in previous years, and does not need "unzipping." There may or may not be an additional instruction sheet for your grant category; please check this and download as necessary.

Fill out the electronic form using the directions below, and print it. Send one original print copy plus 7 print copies to the MBLC offices. They are due in the office (not just postmarked!) by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, 2007. Then e-mail your application to beth.wade@state.ma.us following the subject and filename directions below.

Entering Data in the Application Form

• This year, there are no "form fields" in the document, since many people had difficulty with them last year-the application is a normal Microsoft Word document, and you may enter information by the normal edit process. You are on your honor to use a 12 point font and not exceed reasonable limits for your responses! Letters of support do not need to be part of the electronic form, nor does your timeline.
• The budget page of your application is in MS Word this year, rather than in Excel. This will be easier for some people to download. However, MS Word does not automatically update formulas when you enter text. The column totals and subtotals have formulas, but you will not see the results until you select the budget area (you can do this easily by hitting "CTRL + A") and hit F9, which will update the formula fields.
• Should you have difficulty with the formulas, feel free to delete them all and use your calculator! They are there for your convenience only.
• When printing, you may get a message that you are "out of set printer margins". The document will still print; just check the printed version to make sure all data is included. In our testing, the only data that is sometimes missing are the page numbers. If this happens, just manually insert them.

To e-mail the completed application:

In the subject heading of your message, put: LSTA 2008 Application.

Please name the file you are sending as follows: FY08 YourTownGrantType

For example, the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, sending an On The Same Page application, should send a file called FY08QuincyOnTheSamePage.

If you are a school library, please use FY08QuincyPSOnTheSamePage, instead.

If you are a special library (or non-public school), please use the name of your library: FY08MassHistoricalSocietyOnTheSamePage.