The University-wide Research Grants for Librarians program is a competitive program to provide support to the members of the Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC). Funding is allocated through the University of California Office of the President. Additional funds for research and professional development are also available to each LAUC division. These funds are awarded according to guidelines issued by each LAUC division.
The guidelines herein are to be used for the application of funds to be disbursed by the Office of the President on recommendation of the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee to the University Academic Vice-President. Applicants should consult the guidelines prepared by the LAUC divisional research committee for application for campus funds.
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of the program is to support research by LAUC members. Proposals will be evaluated by the criteria identified in Section III of these guidelines. Applications for University-wide funds may be used to support an individual research project, research involving more than one campus, joint support with one or more campuses of a research project, and other similar research ventures. Proposals must focus on research in library and information science including the dissemination of information; on advancement in knowledge within the broad definition of these fields; on the profession of librarianship; or on subject specialties for which the applicant is highly qualified and which would result in the advancement of knowledge in general.
Projects that relate solely to operational problems unique to an individual campus are more appropriate for administrative support than for application to this funding program. In such cases applicants are encouraged to seek funds from their campus administrative or library sources, as appropriate.
II. THE LAUC RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
The LAUC committee which will review applications for University-wide research grants (hereafter the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee) is composed of a representative from each of the nine LAUC divisions. The Vice-President of LAUC serves as the Chair in a non-voting capacity except to break any ties which may occur in the review process. The LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee is responsible for submitting its recommendations on the allocation of funds to the Office of the President and for notifying the LAUC President of funding decisions from the Office of the President.
III. CRITERIA FOR JUDGING PROPOSALS
The General criteria by which applications for University-wide research grants are judged are the following:
1. the significance of the proposed project with respect to one or more of the following:
a. its impact on library services and/or users
b. its relationship to other research or resources in
library and information science
c. its contribution to scholarship in any academic
discipline
2. the clarity of the proposal
3. the effectiveness of the proposed methodology
4. the appropriateness of the proposed budget
5. the relevant background, training, and experience of the applicant(s)
Proposals from unit and non-unit members will be evaluated and ranked together to determine their relative merit. Those proposals which do not meet the criteria specified by these guidelines will not be funded regardless of whether funds are available. The allocation of funds to unit and non-unit members will be made separately.
IV. APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESS
A. ELIGIBILITY
All members of the Librarians Association of the University of California are eligible to apply for funds from this program. Members of the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee are not eligible to apply for funds for the period of their term of office on the Committee.
B. PRELIMINARY INQUIRIES
The Chair of the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee or the division representatives to the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee will be available to advise applicants on the appropriate interpretation of written guidelines and on procedural matters.
C. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
Submission of proposals for University-wide Research Funds must be made through the appropriate division research committee. Proposals which are intended only for consideration by the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee should be clearly designated as such. Divisional research committees may act in an advisory capacity to applicants who have designated their proposals for review only by the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee.
The applicant(s) must supply an e-mail version and a hardcopy version of the proposal (which contains all necessary signatures) to the divisional research committee chair who will forward them to the LAUC Research and Professional Development Chair. Electronic applications forms will be maintained on the LAUC Statewide Website for downloading and may be available on local campus servers. This electronic form may be printed out for use as the paper copy and submitted along with any required, authorization signatures.
Direct applications to the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee will not be accepted. (For procedures on the submission of multi-campus proposals see MULTI-CAMPUS PROPOSALS below.) If proposals received for review by the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee involve more than one applicant from a single campus, one individual must be identified as the contact person with whom the Committee may communicate for additional information if needed and for notification of the Committee's recommendation.
Each division will determine the percentage of its divisional funds that will be allocated to research proposals and to professional development activities. Research proposals submitted to the divisional research committee, but not designated specifically for consideration by the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee, may be forwarded to the Statewide Committee if judged meritorious by the local committee. In these instances the divisional research committee's comments and evaluations will be submitted to the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee.
The LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee may request, at its discretion, evaluations from competent reviewers.
D. FUNDING PERIOD
Research grants will be awarded annually according to the published schedules for submission and review. Large-scale projects that require more than one cycle for funding may be submitted in multiple funding periods but must compete with other applications in subsequent periods.
E. DUAL-LEVEL FUNDING
Applications may be funded in part from campus funds and in part from University-wide funds. Applicants may wish to structure proposals with this in mind.
F. MULTI-CAMPUS PROPOSALS
Proposals prepared and submitted jointly by members from more than one LAUC division may be submitted to the divisional research committee for review and funding or to the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee. Proposals forwarded to the divisional research committees are subject to the division's guidelines and criteria for evaluation. Proposals submitted to the divisional research committees may be forwarded to the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee.
Multi-campus proposals intended for review only by the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee are subject to these guidelines with the following additional provisions:
1. Multi-campus proposals must be submitted to the divisional research committee on each campus represented by the participants in the proposal.
2. Multi-campus proposals must clearly identify either a Principal Investigator or one contact person with whom the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee can communicate for additional information and for notification of the Committee's recommendations.
3. The chair of the divisional research committee at the campus where the Principal Investigator or contact person is located will forward the proposal to the Chair of the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee.
G. DEADLINES
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that proposals to be forwarded to the LAUC Research and Professional Development are submitted to the chair of the divisional research committee by the division's announced deadline. The Chair of the divisional research committee is responsible for submitting all proposals to be reviewed by the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee to the Chair of the LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee by the announced deadline for submission. The divisional chair will e-mail an copy of the application form and mail the paper form with signatures to the Chair of the Statewide Committee.
H. NOTIFICATION
The LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee will forward to the Office of the President its recommendations for funding. Applicants will be notified by the Committee Chair of the final decision of the Office of the President. The Committee will notify the LAUC President and appropriate division chairs of the Office of the President's final funding decisions. File copies of all successful applicants will be maintained in the LAUC Archives.
I. REPORTING
All successful applicants are required to submit to the Chair of LAUC Research and Professional Development Committee:
1. A concise annual (July) report outlining progress and funds expended will be e-mailed to the current Committee Chair. Exact requirements will be specified in a letter from the Committee Chair to each successful applicant.
2. A final report (may be submitted via email) summarizing project achievements which the Chair will distribute to each campus and the Office of the President.
3. Two copies of any publications resulting from their project. The Chair will deposit one copy in the LAUC Archives and send one copy to the Office of the President.
Publications resulting from this program must acknowledge receipt of funds from the University of California Research Grants for Librarians Program. Proposals that also receive divisional funds will need to comply as well with divisional reporting requirements as indicated in the letter of notification from the divisional research committee.
V. PROPOSAL CONTENT AND FORMAT
A proposal consists of the following parts:
1. Cover Sheet
2. Budget Summary Form
3. Need for Research
4. Design and Methodology
5. Budget
6. Personnel
7. Timetable for Completion
Guidelines for each part of the proposal follow: Refer to the
attached "Evaluation Worksheet" for further suggestions on
proposal content, keeping in mind that proposals are judged by
the criteria delineated in Section III, above.
Part 1: Cover Sheet
The applicant is responsible for producing a printed form which will be used to gather any signatures that are required.
Part 2: Budget Summary Form
Use the form available from the above gopher or web site. The applicant should assure that all necessary signatures are obtained before submitting the proposal.
Part 3: Need for Research
The research being proposed should be clearly described with information on the extent to which research has already been done on the subject, the relationship of the proposed research to prior work and the anticipated impact or benefit. This section can include a review of the literature, a letter of support from an acknowledged expert and/or a discussion of the value of the end product.
Part 4: Design and Methodology
The design of the project must be clearly stated, with the objectives and the expected outcomes of the project identified. Applicants should be aware that significant weight in the review process will be given to the structure and methodology of the projected research. If the outcome of the project is to be a written document, a method of dissemination should be indicated. A detailed statement of how the project is to be accomplished is necessary both to the evaluation of the proposal and to the evaluation of completed projects. While an explicitly detailed statement of methodology may not be possible in the formulation of the proposal (e.g., exact wording of questionnaires to be used), an appropriate and detailed statement will make the proposal more competitive. This statement should include data- gathering and analysis techniques, and drafts of instruments and forms. Also computer resources required, indicating how these will be used to accomplish the project (costs of these items should be included in Part 5, Budget).
Part 5: Budget
Proposals must include a detailed line-item budget statement which explains and justifies the amount requested. This statement should be a realistic, comprehensive statement of needs. Include information on the amount and source of any funds other than University-wide research funds which have been received. (*Receipt of funding from other sources will not prejudice the review of the proposal.) Substantial institutional in-kind contributions (e.g. substantial library supported photocopy or clerical support) should be itemized.
Applicants may request funds for hiring assistants, secretarial support, computing costs, equipment, supplies, travel required for collection of data or examination of materials manuscript preparation, or other research expenses directly related to the research. Actual publication costs, (printing, copy, paper costs, binding) will generally receive low funding priority.
Note: Equipment purchased with University-wide research funds remains the property of the University of California and must be managed by your divisional business office in the same manner as equipment purchased with University funds.
In so far as possible, applicants are expected to include and anticipate increases in costs which might take place in the year in which the grant is awarded. If additional funds for unforeseeable expenses are required after the initial grant has been awarded, a revised proposal with a copy of the original grant must be submitted as part of the regular funding cycle.
Applicants are encouraged to consider hiring library school students to assist in the research when appropriate. A brief description of the duties to be performed should be included in the budget statement. The level of the responsibilities should be appropriate to the proposed level of salary. Duties assigned to graduates normally should be at the research rather than the clerical level. A description of the duties should also be provided to the appropriate school to assist in recruitment of individuals. Whether the student is awarded course credit for the work and the responsibilities of the librarian for supervision of such work will be determined on an ad hoc basis between the student, the student's professor, and the librarian.
Librarians who plan to take leave to work on or complete their research may request funds to cover the cost of a replacement for all or part of his/her responsibilities during the leave. This inclusion of professional salaries for replacements is a pilot project for a three-year period and it will be evaluated at the end of that period.
Part 6: Personnel
The qualifications of the applicant(s) to accomplish the proposed research project will be given consideration in the review process. A statement must be included in the proposal identifying those relevant qualifications and a current resume should be included in the proposal of all LAUC members involved in carrying out the project. If additional personnel are required, specifications for their qualifications must be included.
Note: If adjustments to work schedules, release time or leave is required to accomplish a project, approval prior to submitting the research proposal is necessary.
Part 7: Timetable for Completion of the Projected Research Anticipated completion schedules must be included. Although schedules need not be highly detailed, as a minimum applicants should include a chronology which indicates completion dates for various phases of the project.
VI. FUNDING DISBURSEMENTS:
Funds are awarded on a one year basis (see Part IV Funding Procedures for proposals requiring funds in multiple years). Encumbered balances may be carried over for one fiscal year.
Funds not expended within two fiscal years from July 1 following the award date will revert to the office of the President unless an extension of the project has been granted by the Chair of the LAUC Committee on Research and Professional Development. The Chair may grant one year extensions upon consultation with the representative to the Committee from the recipient's campus, and approval by the Office of the President, as long as no additional funds are required. Requests for extension with additional funds must be submitted to the Committee as part of the regular funding cycle.
Unexpended funds will, at the completion of the project, revert to the Office of the President. If a recipient of research funds terminates employment with the University, unexpended funds will revert to the Office of the President.
Revised September, 1996 UNIVERSITY WIDE RESEARCH GRANTS FOR LIBRARIANS