United States President Bill Clinton signed the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) on October 1, 1996. LSTA is a United States federal library grant program. Its roots come from the Library Services Act, first enacted in 1956. LSTA replaced the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), first enacted in 1962. The

National Commission on Libraries and Information Science The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) was an agency in the United States government between 1970 and 2008. The activities of the Commission were consolidated into the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Record ...

held two White House Conferences that generated discussion and support. The

American Library Association (ALA) The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

and other library groups developed the new act.Flagg, Gordon. "News Fronts Washington." American Libraries, December 1995. Many changes occurred with the passage of LSTA. The original act, the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), allocated funds for building construction, but LSTA emphasizes technology. The new priority is the creation of technological infrastructure.Gregory, Gwen. "The Library Services and Technology Act: How Changes from LSCA are Affecting Libraries." ''Public Libraries'', Vol. 38, no. 6, 1999: p. 378-82. Another change that occurred with the passage of LSCA was the responsibility of library services. This responsibility was originally a part of the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. It was moved to the newly created, independent federal agency: the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The range of libraries served also changed with the enactment of LSTA. Initially, public libraries were primarily served by LSCA. With the passage of LSTA, all types of libraries are served, including public, school, academic, and special. Not all initiatives under LSCA have changed with the enactment of LSTA. Priorities, like services to the underserved and rural areas, are still supported. LSCA is a federally funded state-based program, generally administered by the state library of each state. Each state sets specific funding categories based on a long-range plan filed with the IMLS.

State Libraries LSTA Resources and Five-Year Plans

Notes

Other Resources

American Library Association
Fight to Defend Federal Funding for Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Library Services And Technology Act Acts of the 104th United States Congress Library law