How to Apply for an Interlibrary Cooperation Grant from the Alaska State Library March 23, 2013 Alaska Library Association Conference Valdez

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants  For grants with statewide significance or that are innovative or that allow individual libraries to experiment with new services or programs or buy technology  Grants are competitive and should be project-oriented  Cooperative activities that benefit more than one library are more competitive  Grants have been awarded for projects ranging in size from under $500 to over $50,000  Can not support ongoing operational costs, replace primary funding sources, or fund activities that are the primary responsibility of the applicant library

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Eligibility for Interlibrary Cooperation Grants  All types of libraries may submit proposals: academic, public, school, and special  Is a library with a regular schedule of library services  Has a dedicated facility for library purposes  Has an established history of providing library services and programs  Has an annual budget with funds allocated for library materials and services  A public library must be eligible for or receiving a Public Library Assistance Grant to receive an Interlibrary Cooperation grant

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Funding Priorities  Proposals should be compatible with the state goals and activities and federal priorities set out in the Library Services and Technology Act Alaska State Plan 2013 – State Plan Goals  Alaska libraries will support lifelong learning opportunities for all Alaskans.  Alaska libraries will provide access to content in current and emerging formats for all Alaskans.  Alaska libraries will explore evolving roles as anchor institutions that benefit their communities.

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Federal Priorities (20 US Code Library Programs - Grants to States)  Expand services for learning and access to information and educational resources in a variety of formats, in all types of libraries, for individuals of all ages.  Develop library services that provide people access to information through local, state, regional, national and international electronic networks.  Provide electronic and other linkages among and between all types of libraries.  Develop public and private partnerships with other agencies and community based organizations.  Target library services to people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, to people with disabilities, and to people with limited functional literacy or information skills.  Target library and information services to people having difficulty using a library and to underserved urban and rural communities, including children up to age 18 from families with incomes below the poverty line.

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Clear, Well-Developed and Presented Proposals Are Strongly Encouraged  Well-defined objectives  A narrative that justifies budget line items, including in-kind donations  Significant local financial support for the project as local match  A time line for the project  An evaluation plan that collects at least outputs, comments, and anecdotes  For grant projects that impact people directly, the evaluation plan will include measurable targets and will indicate tools that will be used to measure changes to patrons or staff

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Local Match  Be sure to indicate the amount of local money that will be used as local match to support the grant project  Local match funds are strongly recommended for grant projects that benefit your library alone  Local match funds indicate library support for the project and will make your grant application more competitive

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Evaluation plans should include at least  What outputs you plan to track, i.e. statistics on how much you did, such as: number of programs, number of attendees, number of photos digitized, number of resources purchased  Comments and anecdotes from the intended audience of the grant project  A description of how you intend to gather outputs, comments, and anecdotes

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Some Projects Will Be Chosen for Outcome-Based Evaluations (OBE)  A limited number of ILC grant projects will be targeted by State Library staff to include a more detailed outcome-based evaluation to show the impact of the project on library patrons or staff  State Library staff will assist the staff at libraries receiving these grants by providing information and possibly training funds on how to plan and implement an outcome-based evaluation

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Outcome Based Evaluation  If the grant project will impact patrons or staff, include measurable targets stated as a number or percentage for outcomes listed in the evaluation section of the application  What tools you plan to use to find out whether the grant project reached the measurable targets for impact on patrons or staff, i.e. changes in skills, knowledge, attitude, and/or quality of life  Tools for measuring the impact of the grant project on patrons or staff include: surveys, informal interviews, observations, questionnaires, etc.

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Measurable OBE targets should be stated in this format:  Change in Skills: 12 people will learn to use e-book readers  Change in Attitude: 25% of the participants who were hesitant to use the library’s online catalog will report increased confidence with technology  Change in Behavior: 15 youth will report they read more since they heard the author speak  Change in Knowledge: 50% of participants will report they learned book repair techniques they can use in their own library

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants  Cost of evaluating the grant project should be included in budget on grant application  Most grant projects will include low cost self-evaluations, such as gathering output, comments, and anecdotes  State Library staff can assist applicants in developing an evaluation plan  We can supply sample OBE surveys for measuring changes in skills, knowledge, attitude, or quality of life

Interlibrary Cooperation Grants ILC grant applications should be postmarked by April 1 ILC grant applications are at: Need help? Call me Write: