Category: Outreach

The Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant  is an annual grant to recognize, promote, and support innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries. Libraries are invited to apply by designing and outlining activities for a library-led community engagement project. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members – be they library patrons, residents, faculty, students, or local organizations – to address issues for the betterment of the community.

Each year, the grant will focus on supporting a community engagement project with a specific theme. For the 2022-2023 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a community engagement project that focuses on connection and reconnection with your community. Your project can be a collaboration with an audience that has not frequented your library in the past or an audience that has not used the library recently (for example, because of the pandemic). Libraries should work collaboratively with community members and at least one partner organization to develop a project that addresses a local issue and builds upon community assets. Please note that, while projects should be community-driven, they must be spearheaded by the library.

This opportunity is open to school, public, academic, tribal, and special libraries in the U.S. and U.S. territories. Applying libraries must demonstrate commitment to community engagement work and must submit at least one letter of support from a community organization partnering with them in this endeavor. The library/applicant must hold either an ALA institutional membership OR ALA personal membership.

Two libraries will be selected to receive $2,000 to advance their community engagement efforts. The grant period may be one to two years in length. Applications will be accepted until February 01, 2023.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant is an annual grant that recognizes, promotes, and supports meaningful programs in libraries that have limited and/or no access to budgetary support for programming. This grant aims to help ease budget challenges by annually awarding three libraries $2,500 to support a proposed program, program series, or programming effort.

Applications for the award will be accepted from December 1, 2022, to February 1, 2023. Read the grant guidelines and apply online.

Each year, the grant will focus on supporting a specific type of library programming. For the 2022–2023 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a grant to support programming related to increasing access for groups that are identified as undeserved or new library users in the community. Some example proposals could include increasing access to library resources for homebound seniors, media literacy focused programming and kits for patrons re-entering society to learn about local resources.

All library types — including public, academic, K-12, tribal and special libraries — in the U.S. or U.S. territories are eligible. Applicants must have a personal or institutional membership with either the American Library Association OR the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.

OCLC’s WebJunction needs public library staff to test a new opioid response support kit that will help library staff navigate opportunities and build skills around this topic. Support kits will include information and self-paced activities that will strengthen library staff’s knowledge and skills related to the opioid crisis, with a goal of creating or expanding programming and services for the community.

Applications are due December 19 (it’s a very easy application). Participating libraries will receive a $500 stipend for testing content and implementing a local program or service related to the skills and knowledge gained by exploring the kit.

Click to learn more and apply: https://www.webjunction.org/news/webjunction/new-resource-opioid-crisis-testers-needed.html