Libraries and Autism Grant Program
By Donna DiMichele | October 24, 2018
AUTISM WELCOME HERE: Library Programs, Services and More
The grant honors the groundbreaking work of Meg Kolaya, co-founder of Libraries and Autism: We’re Connected and a pioneer in the area of library service to people with autism. It celebrates her contributions in promoting inclusion, connecting libraries and the autism community, and bringing awareness of the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families to the library community.
Applications for the fourth year (2019-2020) of this grant program are NOW being accepted.
The deadline for submission is December 1, 2018.
Any type of library in the United States or Canada may apply.
Full announcement: http://librariesandautism.org/
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Computer Training at Providence Public Library
By admin | October 19, 2018
Congratulations to Providence Public Library for being named #2 in the state by Providence Business News on its Computer Training Centers List, based on the number of students enrolled in PPL computer training classes. PPL had over 2,000 students participate in its computer training classes in 2018, which result in certification for participants who complete the program. PPL was surpassed only by the Community College of Rhode Island.
Check out the list in the Oct 12-18, 2018 edition of the Providence Business News.
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Art Book Distribution to Underserved Communities
By Donna DiMichele | October 2, 2018
New Art Book Distribution to Underserved Communities (DUC) Library Program
The D.U.C. provides free books on contemporary art to public institutions of learning. All institutions that self-define as underserved are eligible to participate. DUC has a broad selection of 419 art book titles by 68 different publishers available to order free of charge. Place your 2018 D.U.C. order of free art books today!
If you are a new participant, visit the D.U.C.’s participation guidelines and online catalog to get started.
Additional Updates from the D.U.C.:
- Reading Resources: Roni Horn! DUC will release its third-annual series of online teaching guides with a focus on Roni Horn in the Spring of next year. The series emerges from the D.U.C. year-long celebration of the artist’s work, throughout 2018.
- Previous guides, Reading Resources: Glenn Ligon and Reading Resources: Lawrence Weiner are available online and free of charge.
Help DUC better serve your institution! If you are a new or returning participant, please help DUC by completing the D.U.C. survey. It requires no more than 15 minutes and is invaluable to improving our services.
Better yet, write a letter! The many testimonials DUC receives provides it with essential insight into how the D.U.C. can meet your institution’s needs.
Mailing address is:
Art Resources Transfer
526 W 26th St., #614
New York, NY 10001
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American Creed Community Conversations Programming Grants
By Donna DiMichele | September 25, 2018
The American Library Association (ALA), in partnership with Citizen Film and the National Writing Project, invites public libraries to apply for programming grants to host community conversations centered around American Creed, a PBS documentary that invites audiences to consider what the ideals and identity of America ought to be.
Read the project guidelines and apply online by Nov. 19. Up to 50 public libraries will be selected.
Awardees will receive:
- a DVD of the American Creed documentary for their circulating collections;
- access to a high-quality, projection-ready download of the film, with public performance rights (PPR) included;
- a $300 stipend to support speaker fees for an eligible public humanities scholar, or access to a representative from the National Writing Project to serve as program moderator;
- a digital marketing and outreach kit with customizable printable postcards, posters and press releases and suggested social media posts with video clips for online promotion;
- additional resources, training and support.
In the documentary, former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy, civic entrepreneur Eric Liu, moveon.org founder Joan Blades, Tea Party Patriots founder Mark Meckler, Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon and other citizen-activists come together from remarkably different perspectives to explore the idea of a unifying American creed. Grantees may choose to program the feature-length documentary and/or a suite of short films, including exclusive content not available on PBS.
Public libraries that receive the grant must implement three public programs between January and August 2019 that explore the themes and humanities questions featured in American Creed. Grantees are required to work with a public humanities scholar or representative from the National Writing Project to facilitate a conversation about the film, and to recruit a local partner for programming and marketing collaboration. Read the full project guidelines.
Library branches within the same system are encouraged to coordinate submission of a single application. Successful applicants may opt-in to receive additional copies of the American Creed DVD and the projection-ready download of the film with PPR, for multiple branches within a single public library system.
All libraries that submit a completed application — regardless of their grant award status — may receive access and permission to screen the film for a public audience, provided they agree to submit basic information about the screening to Citizen Film.
Co-produced by Citizen Film & WTTW-Chicago Public Media, American Creed is constructed around a seminar conducted by Stanford University professors Kennedy and Rice for first-generation low-income students.
Acknowledging their differences in political outlook, Kennedy and Rice recognize that “a unifying sense of American democratic ideals and identity is fragile.” Their dialogue throughout the film interprets stories about different kinds of American civic activism and models the exemplary, respectful dialogue that American Creed: Community Conversations seeks to support in public libraries around the country.
American Creed Community Conversations is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities www.neh.gov. The project is administered by the ALA Public Programs Office.
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Free 19th Amendment display from National Archives
By Donna DiMichele | September 21, 2018
Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment
The US National Archives is offering a limited number of free pop-up displays called Rightfully Hers to schools and cultural institutions nationwide.
The display contains simple messages exploring the sometimes complex history of the ratification of the 19th amendment, voting rights for women before and after the 19th amendment, and its impact today.
Display details:
- Free pop-up display from the National Archives
- Lightweight, easy to set up, and versatile
- Pop-up display requires no tools or walls, and can be set up in any public area
- Total assembled size is 66.5″ high by 32″ wide
- Total footprint is approximately 45″ square
- Participating venues will receive digital educational and press materials
- Delivered to each host venue’s doorstep in early March
- For initial display from March 8-June 8, 2019 to commemorate Women’s History Month
- It’s yours to keep! Re-use the display any time after the initial display period
- Venues will be asked to complete a brief report at the end of the initial display period
*Note: if you receive notice that there are no more displays, it means we have accounted for all available units. High-resolution Rightfully Hers posters will be made available here for free. Please submit any questions to popup@nara.gov.
Presented in part by Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, and the National Archives Foundation.
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Great Stories Club for Teens
By Donna DiMichele | September 19, 2018
Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of young people in your community? The American Library Association Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation will engage underserved teens through library outreach partnerships, reading and discussion programs, and racial healing work, led by library workers.
Participating libraries will work with small groups of approximately 10 teens; provide up to four theme-related books for each participant to keep as their own; convene opportunities for exploration and discussion of humanities content among peers; and offer an interactive session for program participants led by a racial healing practitioner(s).
Up to 70 libraries will be selected to participate. All library types are eligible, as long as they work in partnership with, or are located within, an organization that works with under-resourced youth. Read the full project guidelines.
Choose one of the following themes:
- Deeper than Our Skins: The Present Is a Conversation with the Past
- Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power
Benefits include:
- 11 copies of up to four books on the reading list
- A programming grant of up to $1,200
- Travel and accommodation expenses paid for a two-day orientation workshop in Chicago
- Resources, training and support from ALA’s Public Programs Office
Apply now: Applications are due November 16. Apply online https://apply.ala.org/greatstories
Learn More to get started, or email publicprograms@ala.org with any questions.
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Grants for Health Literacy Programs in Public Libraries
By Donna DiMichele | September 12, 2018
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region (NNLM, NER) has posted two Calls for Proposals.
All of Us Research Program Community Engagement
The program supports public libraries in outreach projects that involve information and education about the All of Us Research program and health information literacy. Projects can be funded up to $15,000.00.
The primary aims of the award are to broaden access to and awareness of health information resources, with an emphasis on those resources related to the All of Us Research Program, resources provided by the NLM, and to increase health literacy for the public through partnerships with public libraries.
The All of Us Research Program Community Engagement Award funds education and outreach projects that improve access to biomedical and health information and increase the ability of the public and health professionals to use these resources.
Funding Period: October 15, 2018 to April 30, 2019
Amount: Up to $15,000
Application Deadline: Monday, October 1, 2018, 11:30pm
A related grant program to enhance technology access for health literacy
All of Us Research Program: Technology
Description of Award: Enhance technology access to and delivery of All of Us Research Program and health literacy information in public libraries. Projects can be funded up to $10,000. 00.
Funding Period: October 15, 2018 to April 30, 2019
Application Deadline: Monday, October 1, 2018, 11:30pm
More about National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region funding
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Grants for Guides to Library Resources
By Donna DiMichele | September 11, 2018
The American Library Association Carnegie-Whitney Grant provides a grant of up to $5,000 for the preparation of print or electronic reading lists, indexes or other guides to library resources that promote reading or the use of library resources at any type of library.
Funded projects have ranged from A Resource Guide about Disabilities, Disability Theory, and Assistive Technologies to A Bibliography for Queer Teens to Graphic Novels & the Humanity of Mental Illness to Web Accessibility Resources for Libraries.
Applications must be received by November 2, 2018. Recipients will be notified by mid-February 2019.
More information and guidelines are available on the ALA website or by contacting Mary Jo Bolduc, Grant Administrator, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611.
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New Graphic Medicine Book Club Kit
By Donna DiMichele | August 14, 2018
September is National Preparedness Month. But why mention that in mid-August?
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region announced a new Graphic Medicine Book Club Kit focused on Emergency Preparedness and Recovery. September is National Preparedness Month, so its the perfect time to engage your patrons (or colleagues) with a discussion on emergency prepreddness and recovery.
Using Don Brown’s Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, the kit provides a starting point for groups to discuss emergency preparedness and recovery, what happened in New Orleans before, during and after Hurricane Katrina and how learning about other natural disasters and emergencies can help us think about these events in our own lives and communities.
From the Publisher: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina’s monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana . . . The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage—and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality. Don Brown’s kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
Drowned City tells the story of Hurricane Katrina starting with the storm forming in the Atlantic Ocean, making land fall in New Orleans and the missteps of planning and intervention that lead to tragedy.
The Book Club Kit includes:
- Six copies of Drowned City
- Discussion questions
- How to Read a Graphic Novel handout
- Information on Disaster Preparedness, Health Effects of Disasters, Helping Children Cope with Disaster, and more from trusted online sources like MedlinePlus, CDC, NIH and others
To order the kit for your book club, or community organization, fill out the book club request form. Only one kit is available for this health topic, so put in your request today.
Graphic Medicine Book Club Kits are available for six-week loans within the New England Region. Other health topics available in the series include Addiction, Mental Health, Aging, Cancer, Veteran’s Health and more.
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Nominate Your Library for an IMLS National Medal
By Donna DiMichele | August 10, 2018
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting nominations for the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the highest honor awarded to libraries and museums in the nation for service to their communities.
Anyone, including an employee, a board member, a volunteer, a member of the public, or a government official, is invited to nominate an institution. Museums and libraries of most disciplines and types are eligible. To be considered, the institution must complete and return the nomination materials (PDF) by October 1, 2018.
Now in its 25th year, the annual IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Service recognizes libraries and museums whose programs and services contribute demonstrably to the wellbeing of their communities. Medalist institutions exceed typical levels of community outreach by supporting community cohesion and helping to catalyze positive change. Winners’ collaborative, adaptive programs, co-created with their communities, demonstrate exemplary service.
Nominees should review the IMLS Strategic Plan and highlight how their work aligns with the goals of promoting lifelong learning, building institutional capacity, and increasing access to their information and collections. Successful applications will showcase how their work with these contexts is making a difference for their communities. This year, IMLS is particularly interested in library or museum programs that enhance services for veterans and military families, sustain growth opportunities for diverse youth and young professionals, or provide assistance to diverse youth, families, or seniors.
Institutions interested in being considered should read the nomination form carefully and contact the designated program contacts with questions.
- Libraries: Madison Bolls, Senior Program Officer, 202-653-4786
- Museums: Mark Feitl, Museum Program Officer, 202-653-463
- You may also contact IMLS via e-mail at nationalmedals@imls.gov. More information about the National Medals can be found on the IMLS website.
Submissions Due October 1, 2018
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