WESS De Gruyter European Librarianship Study Grant

About the WESS De Gruyter European Librarianship Study Grant The grant supports research in European studies with an emphasis on librarianship, the book trade, resource documentation and similar information-science related topics.   $3,000 donated by the De Gruyter Foundation to cover travel to and from Europe and transportation, room, and board in Europe, for up to thirty (30) consecutive days.  

Administered by:

Award and Frequency

$3,000

This award is given out on an annual basis.

Eligibility

Each applicant must be a member of ACRL and employed as a librarian or information professional in a university, college, community college, or research library in the year prior to application for the award.

Applicant Responsibility

Within six months of completion of the trip, the grantee is required to submit a report of approximately 4,000 words on the research resulting from the study trip. It is assumed that in most cases this report will be suitable for publication. If so, then ACRL is given the first right of refusal to publish it.

The grantee should submit an abstract of the report for publication in C&RL News and the WESS Newsletter.

The grantee is expected to present a report their grant-funded research at a WESS discussion group during the next ALA conference. The grantee will also be available to serve on the award jury one to two years following completion of the research trip. Recipients are strongly encouraged, but not required, to join WESS and become involved in its activities.

Application Instructions

The application must include the following:

• A proposal, maximum of five (5) pages, double-spaced
• A tentative travel itinerary of up to thirty (30) days, including the proposed countries and institutions to be visited and the preferred period of study/travel
• A travel budget, including estimated round-trip coach airfare, transportation in Europe, lodging expenses, and meal costs
• A current curriculum vitae 

Electronic submissions are required.  E-mail the application to Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org.  If sending multiple files, each file name must contain the applicant's name. Submissions will be acknowledged via e-mail.

Submission Deadline: January 13, 2012 

If you have questions, please contact Award Chair Brian Vetruba, Washington University in St. Louis, Ph: 314-935-4824; bvetruba@wustl.edu or Megan Griffin at (800) 545-2433, ext. 2514 or via e-mail at mgriffin@ala.org.

Contact Information

Selection Criteria

The purpose of the grant is to support research on the acquisition, organization, or use of library resources from or relating to Europe. Current or historical subjects may be treated. The award jury will review proposals with the following in mind:

• What is the work to be accomplished?
  The proposal should be as explicit as possible about the current state of knowledge in the area and what will be achieved by the successful completion of the study.
• What is the need for and value of the proposed research?
  The proposal should provide persuasive evidence that the study is of practical use or scholarly value to the wider community of European Studies librarians or academic scholars.
• What is the methodology for carrying out the proposed work?
  The research design should be as specific as possible and demonstrate why a trip to Europe is essential to the research.
• Can the work be accomplished within the time frame proposed?
  If the study extends beyond 30 days, the proposal should specify how the additional work would be completed and funded.
• Are the applicant’s qualifications sufficient to carry out the study? 
  The applicant should document the ability to complete the proposed research in a timely manner.