Has an innovative library management or program idea of yours been brewing on the back burner? Have you thought there was no hope to develop this idea because it is way outside-the-box? There might be an opportunity for you to see your brainchild come to fruition.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has hatched a new grant program called
Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums. According to the grant announcement:
Successful proposals will address problems, challenges, or needs of broad relevance to museums, libraries, or archives, will test innovative responses to these problems, and will make the findings of these tests widely and openly accessible. Grant funding may include all activities associated with planning, deploying, and evaluating the innovation, as long as the expenses are allowable under federal and IMLS guidelines. Examples of projects that might be funded by this program include, but are not limited to:
- exploring the potential of highly original, experimental collaborations,
- implementing new workflows or processes with potential for substantial cost savings,
- testing new metrics or methods to measure the impact of promising tools or services,
rapid prototyping and testing of new types of software tools, or creating useful new ways to link separate software applications used in libraries, archives, or museums,
- offering innovative new types of services or service options to museum, library, or archive visitors, or
- enhancing institutions’ abilities to interact with audiences in new ways to promote learning or improve services, such as through the deployment of innovative crowd-sourcing techniques.
Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to both libraries and museums. The deadline for applications is
Nov. 15, 2010. For more information, visit the IMLS site at
http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/SparksIgnition.shtm.
So, take a look at your pipe dream and see if it’s a match with the parameters of this grant. This might be your chance to let your imagination soar.
