1. a) To be eligible for a School Library Grant, the applicant must be an Illinois public school district and a member in good standing of a regional multitype library system or have made application for system membership 90 days before the grant application deadline and be approved for membership prior to the following January 15. The applying public school district must certify, pursuant to 75 ILCS 10/3, that the public school district has adopted either the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights that indicates materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval or provide written procedures, currently in effect at the school district, that indicates its library or libraries will protect the intellectual freedom of the library user and shall prevent censorship of its library materials, ensuring that items are not withdrawn from its library collection merely because individuals or groups object to the material. The applicant public school district shall certify that for grants made under this Section on or after January 1, 2024, and upon request of the State with any final decision for the reconsideration of library materials during the term of the grant award.
2. b) To qualify for a grant under this Part, a school library must meet the criteria in Section 8.4 of the Act.

3. c) Application for School Library Grants shall be made each year.

   1. d) The applicant shall show that grant funds will be used to support the services of the district's school library media program. The grant may not be used for the construction of a new library or for capital improvements to the existing library.

(Source: Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 948, effective January 1, 2024)