The Library of Michigan (LM) is accepting grant applications to improve public and academic libraries’ capacity to offer services and information resources in their communities.
Donor Name: Library of Michigan
State: Michigan
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $5,000 to $25,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
The Library of Michigan’s (LM) intent for this grant program is to improve public and academic libraries’ capacity to offer services and information resources in their communities. The focus will be on one-year projects that improve access to information for community members in the areas of literacy; local history and special collections; improving digital inclusion; or access to library programming for underserved community members.
LM’s LSTA grant program is designed to provide libraries with the opportunity to expand services for learning and access to information and/or to develop library services that provide all users access to information. The intent is to fund one-year projects that increase access to library collections and information. The application focus must be on how the activities will improve access and have a direct impact on the targeted users. In a given fiscal year, LM will fund a limited number of grants that meet these priorities.
Local history or special collections: They are interested in projects that engage local communities in the collection, documentation, and preservation of their local histories, experiences, and identities. Examples are preservation and promotion of an existing collection, collaborating with a local museum to bring together a themed collection, remediating metadata for an existing digital collection for inclusion in the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), etc.
Grant Priorities
- Improve access to services & information in areas of literacy.
- Improve access to services & information in areas of local history or special collections.
- Improve access to information for community users with limited online access, e.g. improving equity through digital inclusion.
- Improve access to services and information for underserved community members by developing new or improving current library programming.
Applicants may propose a project for any of these four priorities.
LSTA Priorities
- Programs or services to individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
- Programs or services to individuals with disabilities, to individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills; or
- Programs or services expanding services for learning and access to information.
Local History or Special Collections Proposals
Grant proposals that focus on local history and special collections may focus on one or more of the following three areas:
- Digitization of local and/or special collections; or
- Preservation of one-of-a-kind collections; or
- Assessment and preservation planning for special collections, either physical or digital.
Funding Information
The Library of Michigan announces each fiscal year whether competitive grant funds are available. The grant period is one year (October 1 – September 30) and funding is from $5,000 to $25,000.
Who may apply?
For purposes of LSTA, the State Library has discretion on the eligibility of applicants. For this Improving Access to Information grant program, eligible applicants are Michigan public and academic libraries and library cooperatives. Vendors or partner institutions are NOT eligible to apply.
To be eligible, a library applicant must:
- have one or more paid library staff;
- have a regular schedule of library service;
- have a dedicated facility for library purposes;
- have an annual budget with funds reserved for library materials and services;
- have a record of multi-type library cooperation, evidenced by activities such as union listing of holdings, reciprocal borrowing or interlibrary loan; and,
- if a “public library,” be “lawfully established” for purposes of the State Aid to Public Libraries Act and meet all eligibility requirements for receiving state aid, at the time of application and the time of grant award;
- if an “academic library,” be currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
For more information, visit Library of Michigan.
