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State Aid Resources for Pennsylvania Public Libraries

District Library Center Waiver Application

1. Open PA Counting Opinions website: pa.countingopinions.com and click “Login” on landing page.

2. Login to the Pennsylvania Public Library Data Collection using your library’s username and password.  If you need assistance with this information, please contact the State Aid Office at ra-stateaid@pa.gov.

3. Your library’s home page will open.  Click “Begin”.

4. On Data Input screen, select WAFL – District Library Center.

5. Click on the word PRINT in the upper right side of the site. Ensure that pop-ups have been enabled for this step to be successfully completed.

7. A pop-up “Print Form” box will appear, click on “Template”.

8. A pdf will be created and downloaded from the browser.  In the Edge browser, a notification appears so the document can either be immediately opened or saved.

9. Retrieve the downloaded document, save it on the computer, and re-name the document using the following naming structure. 

  • WAFL-District-Library-FiscalYear.pdf
    • Example: WAFL-Allentown-Dimmick-2023-2024.pdf
    • Year represents the fiscal year reporting period.

State aid, also known as the Public Library Subsidy, is paid to public libraries that meet standards found in Title 24 The Public Library Code (Statute) and Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code (Regulations) (Sections 141.21- 141.28). State aid is not provided to libraries to allow them to meet the eligibility standards, but is granted to libraries that are already meeting the eligibility standards as set forth in the laws.

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries recognizes that libraries may periodically come into economic hardship which prevents them from maintaining standards year to year and when possible, has the authority to grant waivers of certain standards. In accordance with 24 P.S. 9332(c), the waiver is intended to facilitate the submission of information libraries must provide if they fail to meet applicable standards and, if approved, maintain eligibility for state aid. Submitting a waiver application does not guarantee that the waiver will be approved. The Library Board of Directors/Trustees should strive to meet standards to ensure future eligibility.

Waiver applications are for the specific reporting year that was applied for. If the waiver is not granted, District Aid may be withheld or delayed. 

The Library Board of Directors/Trustees seeking a waiver must adopt a resolution to apply for a waiver of standards if meeting the standards places an economic hardship on the library’s operating budget. Economic hardship is the inability to meet reasonable basic expenses associated with providing library service aligned with standards outlined in the statute or regulations to be eligible to receive funding through the Public Library Subsidy.

LibPAS Report Instructions:

  • WAFL
    • Upload your downloaded WAFL in this section.
    • Make sure to follow the naming convention and have it in PDF format.
    • Once you choose the file, you then must select "upload". If upload isn't selected, no document will be uploaded into the report.
    • ​​​​​​
  • Waiver Request Determination
    • Both questions in this section must be answered. 
    • Select "yes" or "no" for each. 
  • Un-Met Standards
    • Each question in this section must be answered. 
    • Select "yes" or "no" for each question. 
    • The answer to these questions should match the WAFL. 
  • Explanatory Section
    • Use the text boxes to the right to answer each section. 
  • Waiver History
    • Answer "yes" or "no".
    • This question must be answered. 
    • If the library has requested a waiver for any standard within the last three years, the answer would be "yes."
  • Attachments
    • Upload the previous year's Library budget and the completed board signature sheet
      • Previous year is the year prior to the year of the submission of the waiver application. 
      • For example, if the waiver application is submitted in 2025, the previous year's library budget would be the 2024 budget year.
    • Make sure to follow the naming convention for each. 
  • Acknowledgement
    • If the statement is true, select "yes".