The Â鶹´«Ã½ Libraries are launching a Faculty Research Grant Program that will provide funding to full-time faculty to conduct research that will be supported by acquisition of new scholarly materials.
Led by the Libraries' Collection Development Committee, the program will award mini grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 out of a total pool of $50,000. The primary focus of the program is to support the research and creative work of faculty with new library acquisitions, such as monographs and scholarly books; rare or out-of-print books; microform and microfilm collections; as well as video, DVD, CD-ROMs, and other electronic media. The acquisitions would be accessible for the whole Â鶹´«Ã½ community.
"The grant program will benefit both the Libraries and faculty, as the initiative will help identify and fill needed gaps in our collection," said James Rhoades, collection development coordinator. "It's our hope that purchasing needed items will make the scholarly process easier and quicker for faculty."
Among the factors that will be considered in assessing applications are the likelihood that the requested material will facilitate original scholarship and creative projects, both now and in the future, and that they will strengthen Â鶹´«Ã½'s holdings in a particular field.
The committee will prioritize the funding of applicants who are tenure-earning and applications that focus on how the materials will enhance specific research programs and creative activities of faculty members. Funding of non-research/creative applications will be of secondary priority.
"While it's important that the library is willing to consider proposals to acquire materials for instructional purposes, it's commendable that research is being made the highest priority," said Dale Miller, associate dean for research and graduate studies at Â鶹´«Ã½'s College of Arts and Letters.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 31; awards will be announced in February. Applications should be submitted in the .
Professors should refer to their , the Collection Development Policy or Rhoades at jrhoades@odu.edu to address additional questions.
"Â鶹´«Ã½ seems to be on the cusp of being recognized as a true research university, and it's encouraging to see more resources being allocated to support this evolution," Miller said. "The grant program is a strategic way of building those holdings so as to maximize the bang for the buck as measured in published scholarship and creative activity."
