NMRLS Newsletter - July/August 2004

The Foundation Center supports a nationwide network of Cooperating Collections in libraries across the country. These free funding information centers provide a core collection of Foundation Center publications useful to grant seekers.

The Center is seeking proposals from public, academic, or special libraries to help carry out a primary initiative for 2004, to reach under-resourced and underserved populations whose needs are not currently being met by existing Cooperating Collections.

One of the ways to accomplish this goal is to designate new Cooperating Collection libraries in regions that have the ability to serve the nonprofit communities most in need of Foundation Center resources. The deadline is October 1.

National Endowment for the Humanities Consultation Grants are designed to help museums, libraries, historical organizations, and community organizations develop a new project or chart a new interpretive direction for an institution. By using a Consultation grant, institutions can confer with a team of advisors to help identify key humanities themes and questions that will guide the early stages of a project's development.

The Pay It Forward Foundation offers mini-grants of $50 to $500 to schools in order to underwrite youth community service activities. The philosophy behind the Foundation comes from the 2000 novel, Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Applications are due the 15th of each month. See: www.payitforwardfoundation.org/programs.html.

Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature - Identity and Imagination, a new initiative from the ALA Public Programs Office and Nextbooks, will award grants to as many as 200 public and academic libraries to explore themes in Jewish literature and culture. To obtain a grant application and guidelines, please visit: www.ala.org/publicprograms or www.nextbook.org/ala. Applications for the second grant round must be received by October 1, 2004. Grants will be awarded in December 2004 for reading/discussion programs that will take place in Summer-Fall 2005.

At its July 8th meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners approved funding for FY2005 LSTA grants. Congratulations to NMRLS members receiving grants:

Amesbury Middle School
Memorial Hall Library (Andover)
Gleason Public Library (Carlisle
Madeline English School (Everett)
Parlin Memorial Library (Everett)
Georgetown Peabody Library

Ipswich Public Library
Marblehead Public Schools
Reading Public Library
Swampscott Public Library
Wilmington Public Schools

School Library Incentive Grant
Mother Goose Asks "Why"?
Open Project: Babies and Books
After School/Before School Reading
Customer Service
Discovery Kits
Preservation Survey
On the Same Page
School Library Incentive Grant
Community Languages
Community Languages
School Library Incentive Grant

NMRLS received two grants. A one-year project entitled, "Serving Spanish-Speaking Patrons in Northeast Massachusetts," will address library staff training needs in nine NMRLS communities serving the highest percentage of Spanish speakers. "Enhancing Archival Access in Northeast Massachusetts" will assist ten member libraries with arrangement, description, supplies, and preservation for selected collections. Training in archival practices will be offered to all members.

Congratulations to Stoneham Public Library, which received a grant from the Human Rights Video Project. Assistant Director May Forkin tells us that the Library will present Promises, one of the Human Rights videos, as part of Stoneham's "Community Reads" Program.

NMRLS loves hearing about your grant success stories! Tell us about your library's project so that we can share your news with other members. Contact Mary Behrle.