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Librarians without Borders® Grant

Generously supported through a grant from the FlySheet Med-Informatics Co., Ltd.

Purpose

The International Cooperation Section of the Medical Library Association received a $15,000 grant from FlySheet Med-Informatics Co., Ltd. to be awarded as the MLA Librarians Without Borders® Grant (LWB). This grant will be awarded annually for a maximum of $5,000 each year.

The MLA Librarians Without Borders® Grant supports health science librarianship in HINARI-eligible countries by funding training opportunities and/or the purchase of materials that further the use of biomedical resources for education, research or clinical practice. The terms materials and training are defined broadly for purposes of the grant. Materials could include print or online information resources in any format, and may include shipping costs and/or the computer software and hardware necessary to access and use those resources. Training could include travel and material costs associated with organizing on-site training or the creation of relevant education modules in an electronic format.

The LWB Grant is administered by the International Cooperation Section of the Medical Library Association.

Eligibility

Grants may be awarded to health science librarians in either a HINARI-eligible country or a developed country to facilitate a project in a developing country; although preference will be given to proposals where international partnerships exist.

Terms

Grant awardees have one year to complete the activities outlined in their grant proposal. Maximum funding under the grant is $5,000 (USD).

Sustainability of funded activities after completion of the grant will be an important consideration during review. For the recipient of the grant, a written report will be required at the end of the project outlining the successes, challenges and what the librarians involved learned that could be shared with others considering similar projects.

Application Deadline

Completed applications must be received in the Medical Library Association office on or before December 1. Application materials cannot be returned.

Notification

Applicants will be notified of the LWB Grant Jury’s decision by March 1.

Review Process

The LWB Grant is awarded on a competitive basis. The LWB Grant Jury Applications will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

  • Completeness of submitted application including grant proposal, budget and supporting documents.
  • Evidence of partnerships between librarians and libraries in developing and/or developed countries.
  • Assess whether the proposal meets its stated goals and objectives.
  • Evidence of plans to sustain and continue the grant proposal activities and efforts to improve services and collections once the funded activities have been completed.
  • Evidence of support from the institutions involved and prospects of continued support in efforts to improve access the biomedical information services and resources for education, research or clinical practice. 
  • Evaluation of the potential impact of the proposal in improving the delivery of health information.


MLA Librarians Without Borders® Grant

Application Instructions

Application materials should be typewritten and submitted in English.

1. Grant Proposal: Submit a written proposal addressing the following areas. (8 pages maximum)

  • Name of librarian(s) and institution(s) submitting the grant application.
  • Library to receive support under the grant, specifically the materials and/or training that will be provided and the target audience(s).
  • Describe the goals and objectives expected to be achieved from a successful grant award, and how the proposal meets the purpose of the grant as described above.
  • Describe how the grant award will be part of sustained efforts to improve the provision of health science information services to the targeted audiences by answering the following questions:
  • Will the award benefit a HINARI eligible institution?
  • How do you plan to continue this training or support after the grant has ended?
  • How will you evaluate the grant award’s impact?
  • How will you measure short and long term outcomes from the project? (Please indicate measureable deliverables.)

2. Additional attachments may include:

  • Curriculum Vitas of participating librarians in the grant highlighting their international librarianship activities and relationship with partner institutions, if applicable.
  • Letters of support from administrators of the participating institution(s), if possible.
  • If known, dates and locations of any planned on-site training.

3. Proposed Budget: Submit a budget of anticipated activities and/or purchases as discussed in the application. Include other funding sources and in-kind contributions to be used to support the project.

Submission Guidelines:

Submit completed grant proposal, budget and supporting documents to Carla Funk at the Medical Library Association using one of the methods below. E-mail is preferred:

1.      E-mail to: mlapd2@mlahq.org

2.      Fax to: 1-312.419.8950

3.      Mail to: (If mailed, that application most be postmarked by December 1)

Carla Funk

Medical Library Association
65 East Wacker Place, Suite 1900
Chicago, IL 60601-7246 USA

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