FYI on the current round of competitive discretionary grants from the Institute of Museum and Libraries. You can see what types of projects are being funded if you are looking for grant funds and also see what research and pilot programs may be available soon from these grant participants. Karren Reish Library of Michigan 517-241-0021 Reishk@michigan.gov<mailto:Reishk@michigan.gov> Begin forwarded message: From: "IMLS News " <imlsnews@imls.gov<mailto:imlsnews@imls.gov>> Date: September 26, 2013, 9:51:56 AM EDT Subject: More than $14.6 Million in Federal Grants Awarded to U.S. Libraries To view this message in a browser, please click here<http://www.idevmail.net/message.aspx?d=73&m=1733&e=reishk@michigan.gov&r=825900>. [IMLS logo] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2013 IMLS Press Contact 202-653-4799 Giuliana Bullard, gbullard@imls.gov<mailto:gbullard@imls.gov> More than $14.6 Million in Federal Grants Awarded to U.S. Libraries Washington, DC-The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced grants for 42 library projects totaling $14,670,662. The projects were selected from more than 285 applications requesting a total of $37,977,530 and were awarded through three IMLS programs: the Native American Library Services Enhancement program, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, and the National Leadership Grants for Libraries program.Grantees are matching these awards with a total of $10,546,376 in non-federal funds. "Libraries of all types are anchors for their communities. Whether an academic library serving a university, a Native American library serving a reservation, or a local library serving residents, communities rely on these trusted institutions for information they want and need," said IMLS Director Susan Hildreth. "With these federal investments, libraries will be able to address challenges that face the library field, boost their professional workforce with training and education, and better meet the needs of their communities with improved programs and services." The Native American Library Services Enhancement grants are competitive grants to federally recognized tribes to expand services for learning, access to information, and partnership. The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grants fund projects designed to address the education and training needs of library professionals. National Leadership Grants for Libraries support projects that improve professional practice beyond the grantee institution. Grantees are planning a variety of projects and initiatives, including the following: * The American Library Association will research the effect of early literacy library programming on parent behavior and engagement. * A tribal library will offer six hands-on genealogy workshops, making it possible for participants to explore their family histories with historic photographs and documents and share family stories and oral traditions with tribal members. * Two university libraries will collaborate with a Chinese library to test the use of Machine Translation technology for digital collections. * A state school library association will create a distance learning Masters Degree program to prepare school librarians to teach student digital literacy skills. * A university library will create a plan that would establish a central access point for digital resources in American Sign Language. * A university library and its partners, building on the free, open-source digital archiving platform called Mukurtu, will provide training and resources to Native American Tribes for planning their digitization and preservation activities. A complete list of the library recipients is available on the IMLS website at www.imls.gov/news/2013_ols_grant_announcement.aspx<http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=1&d=73&mid=363882&m=1733>. For more information about IMLS library grant programs, see www.imls.gov/applicants/available_grants.aspx<http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=2&d=73&mid=363882&m=1733>. About the Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov<http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=3&d=73&mid=363882&m=1733> and follow us on Facebook<http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=4&d=73&mid=363882&m=1733> and Twitter<http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=5&d=73&mid=363882&m=1733>.