================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 90 ISSN 1069-7799 October 24, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (200 lines) REVISED LSTA GRANT GUIDELINES PUBLISHED; REVIEWERS AND APPLICATIONS NEEDED _________________________________________________________________ REVISED LSTA GRANT GUIDELINES PUBLISHED; REVIEWERS AND APPLICATIONS NEEDED A considerably revised set of grant guidelines has been issued by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the National Leadership Grants or Contracts within the Library Services and Technology Act, itself a part of the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996. A notice about the revised guidelines was published in the October 23, 1997 Federal Register(v62, n205, pp. 55279-81). However, the notice does not include the full text of the revised guidelines. For further information or to consult the guidelines themselves, contact Mamie Bittner at IMLS, mbittner@imls.fed.us or 202/606-4648, or see the IMLS web site at http://www.imls.fed.us/guidelines/natlead.pdf. Overall, the ALA Washington Office concludes that the revision, while not incorporating all the library community's concerns, is a model of accommodation and balance among the advice and recommendations IMLS received from its two advisory entities, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Museum Services Board, as well as from an IMLS forum to solicit input, and from the public comment process. The ALA Washington Office review of the revised IMLS guidelines follows (see BACKGROUND below). REVIEWERS AND GOOD APPLICATIONS NEEDED. IMLS has again requested comments on the revised guidelines for the National Leadership Grants or Contracts within 30 days, but this time comments must relate to the collection of information burden as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, and are to be sent to the Office of Management and Budget. For further information see the October 23, 1997 Federal Register Federal Register(v62, n205, pp. 55279-81), or contact Mamie Bittner at IMLS (202-606-4648), or go to the IMLS web site at http://www.imls.fed.us/prnlg.html and http://www.imls.fed.us/guidelines/natlead.pdf. IMLS anticipates that final grant guidelines will be available in January 1998. IMLS will welcome names and contact information for qualified reviewers for the program. Eligible library entities should also be planning proposals based on the priorities identified in the revised guidelines, so that many excellent library applications are received in all categories. BACKGROUND The Library Services and Technology Act specifies that 4 percent of LSTA appropriations are to be used for national leadership purposes, including (1) education and training of persons in library and information science; (2) research and demonstrations related to the improvement of libraries, library and information science education, and enhancement of library services; (3) preservation or digitization of library materials and resources; and (4) model programs demonstrating cooperative efforts between libraries and museums. The notice indicates IMLS received a number of comments in response to its June 17 request for public comment on an earlier version of the guidelines. IMLS noted comments and made revisions within the following categories: definition of eligible applicants, eligibility for specific type projects, distribution of funding within project types, qualifications of reviewers, and technical clarification of procedural issues of program management. Except where noted, the comments below on the categories of revision IMLS has identified represent the ALA Washington Office review of the revised guidelines: DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. IMLS has clarified that all types of libraries may apply, including public, school, academic, research (if a research library meets the LSTA definition), special, private (if not-for-profit), archives, library agencies, and library consortia. Public and not-for-profit institutions of higher education are eligible; graduate library and information science schools may apply as part of a higher education institution. Libraries and institutions of higher education may apply individually or in a partnership. Museums may apply only in a partnership that includes at least one library partner. Museums eligible in this way may include all disciplines of museums, including museum agencies and museum consortia. ELIGIBILITY FOR SPECIFIC TYPE PROJECTS. Museums may apply for any type of project, but only if the application includes a library partner. Libraries (and higher education institutions) must have a museum partner to apply for the fourth purpose (collaborative projects between libraries and museums), but may apply individually for any of the first three types of projects. ALA had recommended that libraries, library agencies and consortia, and graduate library schools should be the only eligible applicants for the first three purposes, based on the statute and previous legislative history. IMLS has retained museum eligibility in partnerships throughout, but has made other significant changes that help to emphasize the statute's clear library purposes in the first three types of projects. Most significantly, fiscal year 1998 priorities have been revised: 1. Education and Training. Training and education in library and information science including graduate fellowships, traineeships, institutes and other programs. Priorities: Projects to educate and train library and information science professionals currently employed in the field, in the areas of emerging technologies; or Projects to attract individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds to the field of librarianship and information science. 2. Research and Demonstration. Applied research and demonstration efforts that emphasize access to improved library and information resources. Priorities: Projects that enhance library services through the effective and efficient use of appropriate and emerging technologies; Projects that examine economic models for educational use of digital images; or Projects that create methods to evaluate the contributions to a community made by institutions providing access to information services. 3. Preservation or Digitization. Priorities: Projects that preserve unique library resources useful for the broader research community; or Projects that address the challenges of preserving and archiving digital media. 4. Model Programs of Cooperation Between Libraries and Museums. Priority: Projects that develop, document and disseminate both the processes and products of model programs of cooperation between libraries and museums with emphasis on how the community is served, technology is used, or education is enhanced. The revised guidelines provide specific instructions for partner applications, but now seem to have a much better balance between library-museum partnerships and applications that may include library entities alone or in partnership with one another or involve partnerships with entities other than museums. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDING WITHIN PROJECT TYPES. ALA and other library commenters recommended that no more than one-fourth of the LSTA funding available for National Leadership Grants be provided for the fourth purpose (library-museum collaborations). IMLS incorporates this recommendation in its revised guidelines, but does not specify what percentages will apply to each of the first three purposes. If there are no projects of merit in a particular category, IMLS may make no awards of that type. IMLS expects to include museum funds (probably $1 million) for the fourth purpose in addition to one-fourth of the available LSTA funds. QUALIFICATIONS OF REVIEWERS. IMLS commented as follows: "Some commenters express views that only library reviewers were appropriate for some types of project, while both library and museum professionals were appropriate for collaborative library museum projects. IMLS concurs and intends that appropriate professionals from the field will be included as reviewers depending on the nature of the project and partnership. Additional technical expertise may also be part of the review and decision-making process." TECHNICAL CLARIFICATION OF PROCEDURAL ISSUES OF PROGRAM MANAGEMENT. The guidelines have been simplified and clarified throughout. As previously noted, the ALA Washington Office concludes that the revision, while not incorporating all the library community's concerns, is a model of accommodation and balance among the advice and recommendations IMLS received from its two advisory entities, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Museum Services Board, as well as from an IMLS forum to solicit input, and from the public comment process. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Carol C. Henderson Claudette Tennant All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================