The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) was signed on October 1, 1996, by

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. LSTA is a United States federal library grant program. Its roots come from the

Library Services Act The Library Services Act (LSA) was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1956. Its purpose was to promote the development of public libraries in rural areas through federal funding. It was passed by the 84th United States Congress as the H.R. 2840 bill, ...

that was first enacted in 1956. LSTA replaced the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) that was first enacted in 1962. The new act was developed by the American Library Association (ALA) and other library groups.Flagg, Gordon. "News Fronts Washington." American Libraries, December 1995. Many changes occurred with the passage of LSTA. The original act, Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), allocated funds for construction of buildings, but LSTA has an emphasis on 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 called the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The range of libraries served also changed with the enactment of LSTA. Originally, 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 under-served and rural areas, are still supported. LSCA is a federally funded state-based program generally administered by the state library of each state. Specific funding categories are set by each state 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