A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 608

College Library Technology and Cooperation Grants

(CFDA No. 84.197)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: The Higher Education Act of 1965, Title II, Part A (20 U.S.C. 1029, 1047) (expires September 30, 1997).

Purpose: To encourage resource-sharing projects among the libraries of institutions of higher education through the use of technology and networking; to improve the library and information services provided to the libraries of institutions of higher education by public and nonprofit private organizations; and to conduct research or demonstration projects that meet special needs of libraries by using innovative technology to enhance library and information sciences such as that to be made available by the National Research and Education Network.

Funding History

Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1988	$3,590,000
1989	3,651,000
1990	3,732,000
1991	3,904,000
1992	6,404,000
1993	3,872,768
1994	3,872,786

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

The College Library Technology and Cooperation Grants program benefits colleges, universities, and certain qualified nonacademic libraries by providing funds for library technology grants to support resource sharing and other networking activities. In addition to assisting in the acquisition of special equipment, grant funds may also be used for networking, membership fees, salaries, supplies, telecommunication costs, evaluation, dissemination, and other related activities.

Services

In FY 1993, the College Library Technology and Cooperation Grants Program awarded 37 grants in four categories: combination, services to institutions, research and demonstration, and networking.

In the combination grant category, five awards were made in FY 1993. These grants allow recipients to establish and strengthen joint-use library facilities, resources, software, and equipment. These combination grants have allowed academic libraries to create shared on-line catalogs and electronic document delivery systems, to strengthen existing shared systems through reconversion of records, and to establish new levels of cooperation through the Internet.

Two awards were made in the services to institutions grant category in FY 1993. This type of grant allows recipients to establish, develop, and expand programs and projects that improve the grantee's services to institutions of higher education. Funds have been awarded to nonacademic libraries to improve and expand access to materials through full text retrieval systems that support the academic programs of the institutions they serve and to train academic librarians in the use of the Internet to improve the quality of library services at institutions of higher education.

Seven awards were made in the research and demonstration grant category in FY 1993. These grants allow recipients to meet specialized national or regional needs by utilizing technology such as that provided through the National Research and Education Network. The titles of this year's projects are:

The Virtual Medical Library System
Cheshire Demonstration and Evaluation Project
A Model Scholar's Outpost on the Electronic Frontier
The Bancroft Library Finding Aid Database Design and Networking Project
Government Information Sharing Demonstration Project
Integrating an Image Database into Gopher
Creating a Virtual Electronic Library

Twenty-three networking grants were made in FY 1993. These grants are designed to plan, develop, acquire, install, maintain, and replace the technological equipment and software necessary to participate in library resource-sharing networks. These networking grants allow academic libraries that have not been able to allocate funds from their operating budgets to take advantage of technological advances in the library and information science field.

Program Administration

Of the 37 grants made in FY 1993, 33 were awarded competitively and 4 were non-competing continuation awards. Multi-year projects, initially awarded competitively, are eligible for non-competing continuation awards for up to 2 additional years. No grant may be awarded for less than $25,000. Applicants must demonstrate that they will expend at least one-third more than the grant monies received from the Federal Government on the activities for which they received the grant.

Management Improvement Strategies

The program is now in its sixth year. Refinements and improvements continue to be made to the application review process. These include the active recruitment of library technology experts to serve as evaluators of the proposals; the creation of a peer review database enabling the program staff to identify specific areas of expertise; and the development of a program database to assist in project data collection and analysis.

III. Sources of Information

Program files.
OERI Announcement of FY 1993 Grants Awards (including project abstracts), published annually by the Office of Library Programs, U.S. Department of Education.

IV. Planned Studies

None.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations :: Neal Kaske, (202) 219-1315
Program Studies:: Frank Forman, (202) 401-0182

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[Library Literacy Program--Discretionary Grants to State and Local Public Libraries]

[Library Education & Human Resource Development--Discretionary Grants to and Contracts with Institutions of Higher Education and Library Organizations or Agencies ]