Funding: LYRASIS Awards $135,000 in Funding to 6 Catalyst Fund Winning Projects

From LYRASIS:

LYRASIS is pleased to announce support for six Catalyst Fund projects valued at $135,000 to foster innovation among members and knowledge communities worldwide. A new LYRASIS program, the Catalyst Fund offers “kickstarter” funds to incubate new ideas and test creative approaches to advance objectives of member institutions. Projects were chosen by LYRASIS Leaders Circle participants based on the merit of the idea and the potential positive impact on the wider field of libraries, archives and museums.

The LYRASIS Catalyst Fund is part of a new leadership initiative started by LYRASIS in 2015, featuring three interconnected programs: the Leaders Circle, Leaders Forums and Catalyst Fund. These programs support and implement new ideas and put LYRASIS members at the forefront of collaboration. The Leaders Circle is a membership program that brings together a diverse group of knowledgeable professionals to discuss, design and foster real-world solutions to challenges within the community. The Leaders Forums are regional in-person meetings, 16 so far, where thought leaders and practitioners help identify the needs, challenges and opportunities faced by knowledge professionals on a daily basis. The Catalyst Fund grew out of the Leaders Circle and Leaders Forums as a way to actively advance new ideas and re-invest in our members.

Funding Recipients

The following is a list of Catalyst Fund award recipients, the amount awarded and the project name. Five Project proposals (to be implemented by the applying institution) and one Idea (to be implemented outside the applying institution) were funded.

• Columbia University – “Feasibility Study for a Copyright Education Center” – $30,000

• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) – “Advancing 3D Digitization and Metadata Conventions” – $29,500

• Johnson C. Smith University – “A Digital Map of the Historic West End” – $25,000

• University of Nebraska, Omaha – “Mobile Digitization for Rural Community Archives” – $5,550

• University of North Carolina, Charlotte – “Leverage IoT Devices to Aid in Discovery and Use of Collections” – approximately $18,000 earmarked for testing through LYRASIS

• Washburn University – “From Information Literate to Information Fluent: Information Literacy for Middle and High School Students” – $26,548

Read the Complete Announcement
See Also: List of Leaders Circle Members

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