Contact: Kathlin Smith
202-939-4754
Washington, DC, January 21, 2015-The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is now accepting applications for 2015 Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives awards. The national competition supports digitizing collections of rare and unique content in cultural memory institutions. Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the program succeeds CLIR’s Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program, which awarded its final round of grants in December 2014.
Grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 for a single-institution project, or between $50,000 and $500,000 for a collaborative project, may be sought for projects beginning between January 1 and June 1, 2016.
The competition is designed to:
- encourage approaches to digitization that make possible new kinds of scholarship in the digital research environment;
- support the digitization of entire collections;
- promote strategic partnerships;
- promote best practices for ensuring the long-term availability and discoverability of digital content; and
- ensure that digitized content is made available to the public as easily and completely as possible.
The application process has two phases. The initial proposal round is open, and proposals are due by 5 pm Eastern time on April 30, 2015. The final proposal round is by invitation. Only those applicants whose initial proposals have been approved by the program’s review panel will be able to submit a final proposal. Information for applicants, including a link to the online application form, is available at https://www.clir.org/hiddencollections/applicants.
CLIR will hold two webinars for prospective applicants on Wednesday, February 4, and Wednesday, March 4, from 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern time. More information is available here.
The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.
