Applying for grants

To browse other articles on a range of HSL topics, see the wiki index.

Introduction

See also Research for librarians - portal

Applying for grants is not the kind of activity that academic librarians engage in with any frequency. However, grant-getting can be critically important for librarians and their institutions in order to fund research and projects of merit. Unfortunately, many library schools do not teach students how to apply for grants, and librarian-focussed monographs on the topic are in short supply. Consequently, some grant applications are not always written in a thorough manner or to win the grant. The key is to ensure that the research project and what you hope to accomplish by conducting the research are clearly stated. Many librarians already have the skills to be successful grant writers; an ability to research and synthesize information; a commitment to assess community needs; a collaborative attitude. Clearly, what is needed is a synthesis of these skills and applying practical knowledge of the grant process to the project at hand. This wiki entry and the larger Research for librarians - portal will help you to win financial awards for your projects and your institution. Examples, templates, and checklists will be listed in an attempt to lead you through the grant cycle. Incidentally, most grant applications ask for the same information: a cover letter, proposal summary (or summary of problem), an organizational overview, statement of needs, project description, methodology used, budget, evaluation process and supplementary materials in appendices. These various component parts of the grant application also form part of your planning and allow you to adapt, modify and replicate content for multiple grants.

Components of a good grant proposal

• Clearly expressed, well-written and well-organized
• Demonstrates how a project will result in innovation or add to the literature
• Includes specifics about your experiment or observations to show planning is thorough
• Helps reviewers understand your proposal; lists project organization, content, laboratory and other inquiry-based experiments
• Shows groundwork is laid and illustrates why what you are proposing is important
• Clarity of expression helps to describe, in a limited number of words, your project and exactly what you plan to do
• Demonstrates you have knowledge of current scholarship practices and how they are relevant to your study design; include current research in teaching and learning practices
• Does not fail to adequately describe all components of your project
• Demonstrates you have a time frame; show you have done adequate planning and have realistic time frames
• Includes examples to illustrate, for example, your innovative approach; describe your plans to continue project beyond the funding period

Humour

• How to Fail in Grant Writing. Chronicle of Higher Education. December 5th, 2010

Websites

• ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Research and Scholarship Committee
  • Research agenda for library instruction, information literacy, bibliography of research methodology resources and more for librarian researchers.
• MLA (Medical Library Association) Research
  • Grant information, research resources, projects and studies.
• Museum and Library Services (IMLS). NLG Project Planning: A Tutorial
• SLA (Special Libraries Association) Research Grant
  • Research topics and the focus is on evidence‐based practice.
• Technology Grant News, 2010

References

• Ashcroft L, McIvor S. LIS research and publishing: the forces of change. Libr Rev. 2000;49(9):461-469.
• Association of College and Research Libraries Task Force on Institutional Priorities and Faculty Rewards. Academic librarianship and the redefining scholarship project; 1998.
• Boyer EL. Scholarship reconsidered: priorities of the professoriate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers; 1997.
• Bruce C. Faculty-librarian partnerships in Australian higher education: critical dimensions. Ref Serv Rev. 2001;29(2):106-116.
• Christiansen L, Stombler M, Thaxton L. A report on librarian-faculty relations from a sociological perspective. J Academic Librarianship. 2004;30(2):116-121.
• Gerding SK, MacKellar PH. Grants for libraries: a how-to-do-it manual. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2006.
• Iverson L. Report on eLibrary@UBC 4: Research, collaboration and the digital library - visions for 2010. D-Lib Magazine. 2002;8(12).
• Lougee WP. Diffuse libraries: emergent roles for the research library in the digital age. Perspectives on the evolving library. US District of Columbia: Council on Library and Information Resources; 2002.
• Neal JG. The research and development imperative in the academic library: path to the future. Portal. 2006;6(1):1-3.
• St Clair G, Miller R, Fiander PM. Academic librarianship and the redefining scholarship project. Serials Librarian. 2000;38(1/2):63-67.
• Stelle V, Elder SD. Becoming a fundraiser: the principles and practice of library development. Chicago: ALA; 2000.
• University of Toronto. Writing in the Health Sciences: a comprehensive guide, 2009.