Libraries’ Mini-Grants to Support Faculty Research, Bolster Collection

The Perry Library

By David Simpson

Some $50,000 in funding for the 2021-22 academic year is available for full-time ODU faculty through mini-grants offered by the University Libraries. The grants support research and creative works with new library acquisitions.

Social Sciences Librarian James G. Rhoades said the program is designed to help faculty gain access to research materials. In turn, those materials will be added to the Libraries' collections, where the University community can take advantage of them as well.

The mini-grants will range from $500 to $10,000. Full-time faculty must apply by December 31, 2021, and awards will be announced in February 2022.

Rhoades, who is also the Libraries' collection development coordinator, proposed the mini-grant idea.

"I think this is an excellent opportunity for the Libraries to partner with faculty to acquire materials for faculty research and build our Library collections, and hopefully along the way my colleagues and I will discover more about the materials faculty require to support their research," he said.

Materials eligible for funding include monographs and scholarly books; rare or out-of-print books; microform and microfilm collections; and DVDs, CD-ROMs and other electronic media - just to name a few. The awards really depend on the creativity of the faculty member and on whether the applicant can demonstrate how to provide access to the rest of the Monarch community, Rhoades said. For guidelines, and information on how to submit a proposal, visit the Libraries' Faculty Research Grant Program.