J. Frank Dobie
LIBRARY TRUST AWARDS 2007

J. Frank Dobie Library Trust Awards are monetary awards given each spring
to library applicants selected by the Award Committee.

Application Eligibility
 Application is open to public libraries in Texas which (1) serve a population of 20,000 or less, (2) are legally established*, and (3) are open for service at least 20 hours a week.

Number and Amount of Awards
The number and amount of awards depend on net income produced by the Trust.  In 2006 five libraries received an award of $8,000.

Expenditures of Awards
According to the terms of the Trust, funds awarded may be used solely for the purchase of books.  Note:  books which have been reformatted for ease of use, i.e., books on audio tape or CD-Rom are eligible.

Award Criteria
In establishing the Trust, Mr. Dobie instructed the Award Committee to take into consideration the degree of support that applicants receive from their communities.  Therefore, awards are made not only on the basis of need, but also on the extent to which community governments, library boards, friend’s organizations, and individuals have promoted and supported the library, in comparison with their potential to do so.  Applications should include, but need not be limited to, the following information to help the Committee determine the support of the library by the community, the support of the community by the library, and the library’s need of additional book resources.

  • A brief history of the library and description of its service area.

  • The library’s itemized budget for the current year and itemized expenditures for the two preceding years.

  • The amount of library income for the current year and two preceding years by source.  As applicable, itemized income derived from city government, county government, school district, state government, and federal government, and income derived from the private sector (gifts, fund raising events, etc.)

  • The number of full-time and part-time salaried staff by job title and the number of volunteer hours.

  • Hours of service.

  • The growth of the book collection over the past three years, by volumes and titles.  Note:  please express in terms of net additions per year as opposed to cumulative figures.

  • Circulation statistics for the past three years, in whatever detail they have been kept.

  • Any support other than tax funds (which are reported as income) provided by city, county, or school district, such as library quarters.

  • Any engagement in library cooperation, such as cooperation of the public and school libraries.

  • An account of local efforts in support of the library, extending over one or more years.  Statistics provide some evidence of continuing local support of the library, but limited insight to the persistency and intensity of effort that went into their making.  Tell how local government, businesses, and citizen groups have contributed to the betterment of the library.  Tell of efforts the library staff, board, and friends have made toward the promotion and improvement of library service.

  • The kinds of books the library proposes to buy and the reasons for such purchases.  There are no restrictions on the kinds of books that may be bought; however, regardless of type, books purchased should be of good quality and lasting value.

  • The name and qualifications of the library staff member who would be responsible for book selection, or the name and qualifications of a consultant outside the library who would be willing to advise the library in its book purchases.

Submittal of Application
Applications must be mailed (no faxes) in TRIPLICATE to: 
James B. Stewart
Chairman, J. Frank Dobie Library Trust
Victoria Public Library
302 N. Main
Victoria, Texas 77901-6592 

James B. Stewart can be contacted by email at stewart@victoria.lib.tx.us.

Please include a cover sheet with the following information:

Contact person
City
Name of Library
County
System
Address and telephone number
Email Address

Applications for the 2007 awards must be received by DECEMBER 15, 2006.

At Mr. Dobie’s request, announcement of the awards will be made at the annual meeting of the Texas Library Association, which in 2007 will be held April 11-14 in San Antonio.

* A legally established public library is one established as a department of a city or county government by charter, resolution, or ordinance: or by contract as provided for in the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Texas Civil Statutes, Article 4413 (32c): or as a nonprofit corporation chartered by the Office of the Secretary of State for the purposes of providing free public library services, and having a current contract with a city, county, or school district to provide free public library services for the city, county, or school district.

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