http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/nationalLeadership.shtm

Deadline: February 1, 2007
Grant Amount: $50,000–$1,000,000
Grant Period: Up to three years

Program Overview
National Leadership Grants enable libraries and museums to help people gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and resources that enhance their engagement in community, work, family, and society. Projects should enable libraries and museums to address current problems in creative ways, develop and test innovative solutions, and expand the boundaries within which cultural heritage institutions operate. The results of these projects will help equip tomorrow’s libraries and museums to better meet the needs of a Nation of Learners. Successful proposals will show evidence that they will have national impact and generate results—new tools, research, models, services, practices, or alliances—that can be widely adapted or replicated to extend the benefit of federal support. Proposals will reflect an understanding of current issues and needs, showing the potential for far-reaching impact throughout the museum and/or library community. Projects will provide creative solutions to issues of national importance and provide leadership for other organizations.

Categories
Advancing Learning Communities supports new opportunities for libraries and museums to engage with other organizations to meet the educational, economic, and social needs of learners of all ages. Projects will support learning throughout the lifetime, whether that learning takes place in communities, in schools, or in the workplace. A learning society requires a new vision, in which learning is seen as a community-wide responsibility, supported by both formal and informal educational entities. The Institute will support programs based on current research in cognitive science; learning and literacy partnerships among early, adult, and community learning providers; development of innovative learning technologies using library and museum content; and exploration of new ways to integrate digital and physical services and programs.

Building Digital Resources supports the creation, use, preservation, and presentation of significant digital resources, as well as the development of tools to manage digital assets. The Institute will support projects that preserve and enhance access to valuable library and museum resources; support the development of tools to help libraries and museums manage and share digital assets; address the challenges of preserving and archiving digital media; and enhance interoperability, integration, and seamless access to digital assets, particularly projects that are of statewide, regional, thematic, or national scope.

Research and Demonstration supports basic and applied research and demonstration projects to test potential solutions to problems in a real-world environment. The Institute will support research to improve the effectiveness of library and museum services and their impacts on users; enhance understanding of learning within and across different age groups; fulfill users’ needs and expectations; investigate or develop systems of knowledge organization, such as taxonomies and ontologies; enhance information discovery; investigate knowledge integration, data curation, or interoperability; create innovative methods of preservation of digital or analog library materials; integrate physical and digital experiences; and develop new methodologies, standards, or practices.

Partnerships
The Institute particularly encourages projects that meet community needs through innovative collaborations between museums and libraries and with other organizations as appropriate. Partnerships between libraries and museums are particularly encouraged under this program.

Eligibility
All types of libraries, except federal and for-profit libraries, may apply. Eligible libraries include public, school, academic, special, private (notfor- profit), archives, library agencies, library consortia, and library associations. Research libraries and archives that give the public access to services and materials suitable for scholarly research not otherwise available and that are not part of a university or college also are eligible. Digital libraries that make library materials publicly available and provide services including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian are eligible to apply. Institutions of higher education, including public and not-for-profit universities and colleges, also are eligible. An academic unit, such as a graduate school of library and information science, may apply as part of an institution of higher education. Library applicants may apply individually or as partners.

Museums that fulfill the Eligibility Criteria for Museums may apply. Private notfor- profit museum services organizations or associations that engage in activities designed to advance the well-being of museums and the museum profession also may apply. In addition, institutions of higher education, including public and not-for-profit universities, are eligible.

Applicants may prepare and submit multiple proposals in a given fiscal year. However, the same proposal may not be submitted under more than one category. Applying to one grant program does not preclude applying to another. See Program Guidelines for specific eligibility criteria.

Posted by sharum at October 5, 2006 3:31 PM