LAUC Research Grants
While many LAUC grants are awarded for projects directly related to a member's work responsibilities, there is no requirement for such a link. Many projects are narrowly statistical or analytical in nature, but many are directed to ideas that are more broadly creative and expansive in their explorations
The projects that receive funding usually have some connection to libraries, publication, or the dissemination of information in some form, but they do not need to be narrowly focused on librarianship. LAUC-B members who want to pursue some type of research project, particularly on a topic of personal interest to them, but outside their immediate job duties, should consider whether there is some aspect of the project that intersects with the functions of libraries, archives, universities, etc.
The primary purpose of the LAUC research grants is not to help librarians to do their immediate job better. The aim of the program is provide funds to support creative scholarship on the part of LAUC members. As employees with academic appointments, our interests should extend beyond the narrow technicalities of our particular jobs. The LAUC Research Grants Program places an emphasis on wider scholarly achievement, and provides funding for librarians to pursue research and publication projects on a par with the faculty on this campus.
Examples of creative projects:
Elizabeth Byrne and Waverly Lowell, support for the writing of Centennial history of the UCB Department of Architecture and the Environmental Design Library (1999/2000)
Sidney Berger, An Analysis of the Theories and Practices of Leonard Baskin's Printing (1997/98)
Judy Tsou, Study of Images of Chinese in American Sheet Music (1994/95)
William Benemann, Roscoe Pound and the Women of Berkeley: Class and Gender in Legal Education in America (2002/03)
Tips for preparing LAUC research grant proposals [pdf]
Applying for a Grant
The guidelines for applying for LAUC Research Grants provide detailed step-by-step instructions. The information here is intended to be supplementary, based on personal experience of applying for and receiving a research grant.
- Fill out the cover sheet.
- Draft a proposal that includes the following sections (which are more thoroughly explained at the LAUC site):
a. The need for the research
b. The design and methodology of your research
c. Your budget
d. Personnel involved, including their qualifications
e. The timeline for the completion of the project - A supplemental budget information sheet is required if you are requesting money for travel or a per diem. If you are not requesting either, submit the form with a note saying something like "I am not requesting per diem or travel expenses."
Do not neglect to read the Research Proposal Checklist to ensure that you have not forgotten any steps before sending this to the LAUC-B Research Committee.
Receiving a Grant
LAUC will inform you by letter of your receipt of the research grant. You will need to contact the individual or office that manages your Library's budget (in the case of the University Libraries, that would be the Library's Business Office) to arrange for the transfer of grant funds from UCOP. If your project requires Human Subjects Review, that review needs to be completed before funding is released.
Human Subjects Review
If your project involves the study of human subjects - however benign - that project may need to be reviewed by the Office for the Protection of Human Subjects (OPHS). Information about the types of projects that require review is located at the Human Research Protection Program site. Information about research that is exempt from review is available at http://cphs.berkeley.edu/exempt.pdf. If, after reading these documents, you are still unclear about whether your project requires review contact OPHS at ophs@berkeley.edu.
If you believe your project fits into an exempt category, you must submit it to OPHS using eProtocol. Be aware that this process requires you to identify a Principal Investigator, who must be a faculty member. With your original grant proposal in hand, the eProtocol form is not difficult to fill out, but you should be prepared for those questions that ask how you will protect the identity of participants, how you will secure the information gathered about them, and what potential harm could come to participants.
Reporting
You will need to complete an End of Funding Period Report at the end of your grant award period, which will include a description of what you accomplished, how you spent out the funds, and how you disseminated the results of your research.
For more advice on submitting proposals, you are welcome to contact any member of the LAUC-B Committee on Research. We also suggest that you contact past recipients of the grants.