Free webinar: Q&A on the Academic Library Impact Research Grants

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Sara Goek

Are you interested in applying for one of the new Academic Library Impact Research Grants? Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 1 p.m. Central Time (2 p.m. EST, 12 p.m. MST, 11 a.m. PST) to learn about the program and application process.

ACRL is offering grants of up to $3,000 each for librarians to carry out new research in areas suggested by the 2017 report Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research (prepared for ACRL by OCLC Research and available for download or purchase). During this live discussion, the chair of the Value of Academic Libraries Committee will share information about the background and focus of the grant program. Learn how to strengthen your proposal and ask questions about any aspect of the CFP or application process.

Facilitators

Alan Carbery, associate library director at Champlain College and chair of ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries committee

Sara Goek, Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow and ACRL Program Manager

How to register

Submit your free registration online by Wednesday, March 7 at 12 p.m. CT. This session will be recorded and made available shortly after the live event.

For more information

Read the complete call for proposals and frequently asked questions on the ACRL website. The application deadline is April 1, 2018. Any further questions should be directed to sgoek@ala.org.

Posted in Faculty Grants, Library Impact on Students | Tagged , | Comments Off on Free webinar: Q&A on the Academic Library Impact Research Grants

Academic Library Impact Research Grants 2018

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Sara Goek

ACRL is pleased to announce the launch of the new Academic Library Impact Research Grants. The ACRL Board of Directors has allocated $20,000 in fiscal year 2018 to offer research grants of up to $3,000 each. These grants will enable librarians to carry out new research, particularly in areas suggested by ACRL’s 2017 report Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research (prepared for ACRL by OCLC Research and available for download or purchase).

ACRL invites practicing librarians and information professionals employed in academic and research libraries to apply for funding for research that will demonstrate library contributions to student learning and success. Each proposed project should aim to build on the foundations of the Academic Library Impact report and fill gaps in existing literature. As the report’s authors write, it is intended to act “as a catalyst for the study of college and university student learning and success,” highlighting questions for further investigation as well as tools and methods that can be applied to them or any number of related topics.

This program is one of several developed by ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries (VAL) Committee to support librarians in their efforts to demonstrate the impact of their work to a wider audience. “These new grants will advance research in key areas,” says committee chair Alan Carbery. The goal is to “demonstrate the myriad positive impacts libraries can have on student learning and success, and to share those findings to the benefit of the library field and higher education.”

Applications are due by 5pm Central Time on Thursday, April 5, 2018 (extended deadline). ACRL expects to announce future rounds of research grants in 2019. Complete details of the Academic Library Impact Research Grants, including how to apply, are available on the ACRL website.

Posted in Library Impact on Students | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Academic Library Impact Research Grants 2018

Announcing the First VAL Travel Scholarship Recipients

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Sara Goek

ACRL is pleased to announce the first recipients of its Value of Academic Libraries Travel Scholarships in 2018. These scholarships of up to $2,000 each support librarians presenting on their work demonstrating the impact of academic libraries in the broader landscape of higher education.

The selection committee chose six proposals in this round of applications. They are:

  • Sara Arnold-Garza (Towson University) for a presentation titled “Research as Inquiry, or, How to Win Librarian Friends and Influence Students” at the American Political Science Association Teaching & Learning Conference.
  • Elisandro Cabada (University of Minnesota) for a poster presentation titled “A Survey of Information Professionals on the Preparedness of STEM Graduates Entering the Workforce” at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  • Britt Foster and Dave Tyckoson (California State University, Fresno) for a presentation titled “Taking a Deeper Dive: Using Capstone Papers for Richer Information Literacy Assessment” at the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission Academic Resource Conference.
  • Kathleen Kasten (Stony Brook University) for a roundtable presentation titled “The Intellectual Landscape in the Library: Speaker Events as a Tool for Academic Engagement” at the Northeast Modern Language Association Conference.
  • Sarivette Ortiz-Sanchez (Ana G. Mendez University) for a presentation titled “The Role of Academic Libraries in Support of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion in Education” at the International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association.
  • Michelle Reed (University of Texas at Arlington) for a presentation titled “Beyond Open Connections: Leveraging Information Literacy to Increase Impact of Open Education” at the Open Education Global Conference.

“The committee was impressed by the strength of the applications we received,” says Value of Academic Libraries Committee chair Alan Carbery. “The selected recipients submitted proposals that closely align with the goals of the committee and scholarship program. They will present at a diverse set of conferences, on a breadth of topics. Their presentations will reach a wide audience as they showcase the impact and value of academic libraries.”

These travel scholarships take up a recommendation from the new ACRL report Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research (prepared by OCLC Research and released in September 2017 for download or purchase) that academic librarians effectively communicate their contributions both up to institutional stakeholders and out to other departments. Future rounds of scholarships are expected to be announced in summer 2018.

Posted in Communicating Value | Tagged , | Comments Off on Announcing the First VAL Travel Scholarship Recipients