James Madison University (JMU) Libraries and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) are offering $2,000 travel scholarships to attend a national forum of experts and stakeholders to address key opportunities and challenges in building a collective collection-development system for open access (OA) content. This “OA in the Open” forum will engage participants in creative thinking around how a new collective funding model could be designed to minimize the creation of new membership organizations while simultaneously building community stakeholdership.
The OA in the Open project, funded by a grant from the US Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), will include a series of focus groups in early 2019 at three conferences:
- American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting 2019 in Seattle, Washington (Deadline to apply: November 2, 2018)
- Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) Conference 2019 in Austin, Texas (Deadline to apply: November 16, 2018)
- Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio (Deadline to apply: November 30, 2018)
With a total of 75 people participating in six focus groups, the project team will talk to a non-random but diverse sample of the academic library community about the conditions under which they could and would participate in openly and collectively funding OA content. The project team will report its key observations in a presentation immediately after the 2019 Digital Library Federation (DLF) Forum in Tampa, Florida, and produce a white paper to motivate the community toward collective action.
Award Eligibility Criteria
To help ensure representation from a multitude of perspectives and academic libraries of all sizes and types, the travel scholarships will enable four people to attend each conference and participate in the focus groups. ARL will administer the travel scholarships to people who identify as members of a group (or groups) underrepresented among library practitioners. These include—but are not limited to—people of Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, Asian, Middle Eastern, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, First Nations, American Indian, or Alaskan Native descent. Applications from those who work at community colleges, minority serving institutions (MSIs), or historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), or who could otherwise contribute to the diversity of the forum are also warmly welcomed.
Evaluation of Award Applicants
Applicants will be evaluated based on:
- Eligibility criteria (above)
- Articulation of clear goals and benefits of forum participation
- Engagement with scholarly communication/collection development
To Apply for an Award
Apply for a travel scholarship online. Visit the OA in the Open website to learn more about the project.
About JMU Libraries
James Madison University (JMU) Libraries serves a faculty and student population of over 23,000 and supports JMU’s mission to be a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives. JMU Libraries does this through engaging with JMU’s diverse communities in their creation and search for knowledge through academic resources, physical and virtual spaces, and educational and research services. JMU Libraries is on the web at www.lib.jmu.edu.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in Canada and the US whose mission is to advance research, learning, and scholarly communication. The Association fosters the open exchange of ideas and expertise, promotes equity and diversity, and pursues advocacy and public policy efforts that reflect the values of the library, scholarly, and higher education communities. ARL forges partnerships and catalyzes the collective efforts of research libraries to enable knowledge creation and to achieve enduring and barrier-free access to information. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
