Smathers Libraries Grants Program

Welcome to the Smathers Libraries Grants Program LibGuide! The Smathers Libraries Grants Program supports activities related to the submission and management of grant funds awarded to library faculty and staff. Explore these resources to assist in finding valuable information about funding opportunities, developing proposals, and managing funded awards.

Become a grant reviewer! Here are just a few ways to get involved with federal agency and other sponsors and contribute your professional expertise to the profession. It's a great way to learn more about the world of grants!

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Lyrasis Catalyst Fund

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

National Endowment for the Humanities

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

Merit Review: Why You Should Volunteer to Serve As An NSF Reviewer: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/reviewer.jsp#3 

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

US Dept. of Education: Various calls for peer reviewers are posted as funding becomes available; see this example: https://oese.ed.gov/2022-call-for-peer-reviewers/

The Grants Activities Update is a monthly report produced by the Smathers Libraries Grants Management Program to keep our community informed about the status of ongoing grant projects. Proposals are tracked and categorized by whether they have been recently submitted, recently awarded, recently declined, pending, or active. The purpose of the report is to provide sufficient and transparent information about the status of all proposals. Information includes the title of the project, amount requested, amount contributed as cost share, proposal abstract, project team members, start and end dates, sponsor name and program, and a link to the full proposal hosted in the UF Institutional Repository.

Enhancing Student Learning through a Campus-Wide Podcasting Studio – (Cash: $30,553) The George A. Smathers Libraries request $30,553 to purchase state-of-the-art podcasting equipment to establish a campus-wide podcasting studio for students to be located at the Marston Science Library (MSL). Podcasting provides students the opportunity to share their voices widely. It is an engaging tool that students can use to deliver content to a wide audience in short, meaningful segments. It also allows students to build their self confidence in speaking and sharing their knowledge with others. Because podcasts are freely available and can be shared university-wide, they can also serve as open educational resources (OER) to engage with leadership themes in a way that is accessible, practical, and relevant. For students, podcast creation provides an experiential learning opportunity in multiple arenas, including script writing, interviewing, narration, recording, and audio production/editing. Student-led podcasts could serve as a capstone project, a modern final assessment, a professional marketing tool, or simply a personal creative endeavor. (Project team: M. Nolan (PI), J. Bossart (Co-PI), J. Williams) (Start date: 8/1/2023; end date: 1/31/2024) Technology Fee Academic Innovation Grant – University of Florida

Sharing Caribbean Experiences and Perspectives in Panama – (Cash: $3,950) The George A. Smathers Libraries and Pan Caribbean Sankofa propose to hold a public humanities program in Panama in August 2023 to examine the history and lives of the Caribbean people who lived and worked in the former Panama Canal Zone and in Panama. The program, which includes a panel discussion and traveling exhibit, will address the importance of identity, community, and culture as part of the Caribbean diaspora. In addition to raising awareness about the experiences of these Caribbean people, the program will foster dialogue and provide a forum for Caribbean people to share their voices and perspectives. (Project team: J. Nemmers (PI), B. Bemis (Co-PI)) (Start date: 05/01/2023; end date: 04/30/2024) Programs in the Public Humanities Grants – Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere.

Thought in Practice: Censorship and Authenticity in the Early Modern World – (Cash: $3,600) The team hopes to explore the nuances of early modern knowledge and practice with a workshop series that will examine debates over censorship, authenticity, and the value of information as they played out on the pages of early modern texts. Our speakers will present their recent scholarship in the areas of early modern censorship and historical method, and will also offer small, hands-on workshop sessions on a feature of early modern book culture that fascinates them and informs their scholarship, using SASC’s collections. (Project team: N. Weijer (PI), Anton Matytsin (Co-PI)(History Department)) (Start date: 08/23/2023; end date: 12/15/2023) Speaker Series - Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere

The Next Dimension in Scanning: Using Photogrammetry to Digitize 3-Dimensional Objects – (cash: $ 4,230; cost share: $1,288) The project team requests funding to purchase equipment for digitization of three-dimensional objects using photogrammetry, a method of using photographs to create 3D models.  We will use photogrammetry to digitize four objects from the Baldwin Collection and the Panama Canal Collection over the length of the project.  The 3D models will be uploaded to Sketchfab for viewing, and a link to the models will be included in the UFDC records for the objects.  The project team will create documentation of this process, and after the grant period the equipment will be used to digitize other objects throughout the Libraries’ collections. (Project team: S. DeRoche (PI), & J. Goodson) (Start date: 1/3/2023; end date: 12/31/2023) Strategic Opportunities Program

Power Word Play: Circulating Tabletop Games - (Cash: $4,300; cost share: 2,388) This project seeks to add 80 Dungeons & Dragons kits for circulation at Library West and Marston Science Library. The proposed kits will contain polyhedral dice and game books required to play Dungeons & Dragons, with variants for individuals and small groups. We received positive feedback from students, staff, faculty, researchers, and local game organizations, who cited a need for accessible game resources for adults. This purchase will support the diversification of library resources and promote the social and emotional wellbeing of patrons at the University of Florida. (Project team: J. Mixson (PI), M. Meke, K. Ramhit, S. Pace, & C. Gott) (Start date:1/3/2023; end date:12/31/2023) Strategic Opportunities Program