The sub grants have been awarded to libraries at HBCU institutions that have proposed or are in the midst of model projects that are developing or expanding research support services. These projects will help address an identified gap in HBCU library support for research among faculty and library deans/directors.

The eight HBCU recipients of these sub grants are:

• Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library (Georgia)
• Fisk University (Tennessee)
• Jackson State University (Mississippi)
• North Carolina A&T State University
• Prairie View A&M State University (Texas)
• Savannah State University (Georgia)
• Shaw University (North Carolina)
• Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge (Louisiana)

The sub grants were awarded based on criteria established by a nine member Faculty/Librarian Advisory Committee (FLAC), and included looking at the effectiveness of each library’s proposed plan in addressing an identified faculty need and the ability of the project to serve as a model for other HBCUs. Each sub grant recipient has four months to complete the project. Final performance and financial reports will be included in the project results documentation. In addition, each library grantee will be required to present a webinar in early 2015 to HBCU Library Alliance members to describe their project and its impact.

“We look forward to seeing the project results, and the subsequent impact they have on faculty research in these eight institutions and the greater HBCU community – whether it’s conducting ongoing literature reviews across a wide variety of sources, managing intellectual property rights and copyright, preserving access to data sets and publications through repositories, or forming partnerships to increase availability of resources,” states Cynthia L. Henderson, Executive Director of the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library at Howard University and Chair of the HBCU Library Alliance Board of Directors.

“These sub grants extend the HBCU Library Alliance’s mission to strengthen member libraries through leadership development, archives preservation and strategic planning and assessment. This effort enables the implementation of innovative programs and increasing engagement with faculty in support for research, with the critical need to replicate effective programs on additional HBCU campuses,” says Sandra Phoenix, HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director.

For more information about the HBCU Library Alliance, please visit www.hbculibraries.org.

The HBCU Library Alliance is a consortium that supports the collaboration of institutions dedicated to providing resources designed to strengthen the libraries and archives of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their constituents. The purpose of the HBCU Alliance is to ensure excellence in HBCU Libraries and the development, coordination, and promotion of programs and activities to enhance member libraries.