Grants
Egan Library pursues external funding opportunities to support strategic priorities. Examples of current and past projects are described below.
Current Projects
Expanding Education Options for Alaska's Library Workforce
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Recipient, RE-256626-OLS-24. $150,000
This planning grant project (2024-2027) will identify the training needs of the library workforce across the state of Alaska and develop coursework for their professional development. The project will assess the needs of library staff and explore the feasibility, curricular content, and delivery modes for an online professional development credential emphasizing skills development for library paraprofessionals in underserved communities throughout the state. As a result of the project, as needs dictate, we will develop a workforce readiness curriculum and affordable online microcredential aligned with the American Library Association (ALA) Core Competencies and the Alaska Library Association Culturally Responsive Guidelines for Alaska Public Libraries. Full proposal.
Project Personnel:
- Jennifer Ward (Principle Investigator), Professor of Library Science & Outreach Librarian, Contact Info
- Jonas Lamb (Co-PI), Professor of Library Science & Access Services and Open Education Librarian
- David Cox (Co-PI), Associate Professor of Library Science and Technical Services Librarian
- Kaia Henrickson, Associate Professor of Library Science and Information Literacy Librarian
Project Objectives and Status:
- Objective 1: Conduct an Environmental Scan (Complete)
- Objective 2: Seek Stakeholder Input (In Progress, Spring 2026)
- Objective 3: Synthesize Findings of Environmental Scan and Stakeholder Input (Summer 2026)
- Objective 4: Pursue Professional Development
- Objective 5: Develop Curriculum (Fall 2026)
- Objective 6: Pilot Course (Spring 2027)
- Objective 7: Share Methods & Findings (Summer 2027)
Support for Open Education Initiatives
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Open Educational Resources State Subgrants, $5,000
These funds supported the participation of five UAS faculty and a UAF PhD candidate at the 2025 Open Education Conference, participation of one UAS faculty member in the 2026 Creative Commons Certificate for Educators program and 2026 access to the JSTOR Path to Open program. PI Jonas Lamb.
Past Projects
Alaska State Library, Interlibrary Cooperation Grant, $19,440.
- PI Jonas Lamb
- Supported travel for Bren Smith, author of Eat Like a Fish, to Juneau and Sitka for class visits, campus and community events.
- 111 book copies purchased and distributed to students for free.
University of Alaska Faculty Initiative Fund, $10,000
- PI David Cox, Co-PI Genova Boyd (UAF)
- Enabled purchase of most print materials from the Yukon Native Language Centre, with a copy each for Egan Library and for the UAF Rasmuson Library.
- Literacy materials in the Ahtna, Gwich'in, Hän, Kaska, Tutchone, Tanacross, Tanana, and Tlingit Languages which were not cataloged or made searchable through the Alaska Library Catalog.
American Library Association / National Endowment for the Humanities, American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, $10,000
- PI David Cox
- Egan Library began the process of reclassifying the Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge Collection, bringing on two temporary staff that reviewed around 40% of the collection
- Find more about the collection and project in the Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge Center research guide.
Alaska State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services, American Rescue Plan Act [LS-250194-OLS-21], $39,756
- Co-PI Jennifer Ward and David Cox
- Supported purchase of two Primary Source collections:
- Sabin Americana, a digital archive of primary sources from the Americas from 1500-1926
- U.S. Declassified Documents Online
- Supported purchase of 46 ebook titles across the curriculum, including education bestsellers, new literature materials, and updated science and medicine reference
- Find these integrated with our other titles in Gale ebooks
Alaska State Library / Institute of Museum and Library Services, American Rescue Plan Act [LS-250194-OLS-21], $6,000
- Co-PI Jennifer Ward and David Cox
- Provided perpetual access to the 40+ titles in Gale’s Cameron’s Collection, to support students with questions about their mental health and wellness.
- These materials can be found in the Mental Health and Welness Ebooks Research Guide.
- An additional aspect of the grant was purchasing physical materials for the library, which included updates in support of changing curriculum and the updated mission statement, including Alaska titles beyond Southeast, world literature, and Indigenous Studies.
University of Alaska Faculty Initiative Fund, $10,000
- PI Jonas Lamb
- To increase access to the unique analog texts, audio recordings and curricular resources and support student engagement with language revitalization through learning, documentation, and community activities. Egan Library acquired an archival quality book scanner to digitize fragile, rare and/or out of copyright, curricular resources currently owned by the Alaska Native Arts, Languages & Studies Program and items in the UAS Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge Collection.