Library Stuff

“The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today a $999,485 grant to the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) for a major expansion of its infrastructure. The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. DPLA aims to expand this crucial realm of openly available materials, and make those riches more easily discovered and more widely usable and used.” (via Digital Public Library of America)

“The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced grants for 51 library projects, totaling $9,291,441, that will advance library and archives practice by addressing challenges in the field and by testing and evaluating innovations. The projects were selected from 212 applications through the IMLS National Leadership Grants for Libraries and Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries programs, requesting more than $14.6 million and matched with $7,154,135 in non-federal funds. This announcement includes three grants through the Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program, which total $647,821.” (via IMLS)

“The William Penn Foundation is extending its longtime role as primary benefactor of the Free Library of Philadelphia by awarding the library the biggest grant in the history of either institution. The Free Library will receive $25 million from William Penn over three years, helping to pay for renovations at the Central Library downtown, plus the renovation and expansion of five neighborhood branches in South Philadelphia, central North Philadelphia, Logan, Tacony, and Mount Airy.” (via Philly.com)

“The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded OCLC a grant to continue work helping libraries support health information initiatives in their communities. In July 2013, OCLC received an IMLS grant to increase libraries’ ability to respond to customer health information needs, launching the “Health Happens in Libraries” program. IMLS is supporting an expansion of that effort with a $199,050 grant to OCLC. OCLC and its partner, ZeroDivide, will develop additional resources for individual libraries to highlight ways they can lead or support health initiatives.” (via IMLS)

“The Washington University Libraries have been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will allow the Libraries to implement Hydra, a powerful open-source software system used by research institutions around the world to provide access to their digital content. Equally important, Hydra facilitates collaboration among institutions that want to share their digital collections and link them to related materials held elsewhere. Over a period of two years, the grant will cover costs for technical skill-building among staff, expanded technological infrastructure, and internal and external outreach as well as interaction with the wider community of Hydra users and developers. Such efforts expand on technical resources already in place at the Libraries. This is essential as more and more materials are being delivered online and as the number of faculty-driven humanities projects grows.” (via Washington University)