LIBR 282-01
Seminar in Library Management
Topic: Grant Writing and Grant Seeking Strategies
Fall 2014 Greensheet

Lisa Valdez
E-mail
Office Location: Clark Hall 417-D
Office Hours: Virtually via email and by appointment

You will be enrolled into the Canvas course site automatically. The first day of the course is Monday, August 25.  The instructor will send more information as we approach this date.  An optional Collaborate session will be held on Wednesday, August 27, at 5:00 pm Pacific Time, where the instructor will provide an overview of the course, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions.  Students may also watch a recording of this optional Collaborate session.

Course Description

This course examines grant seeking strategies, with an emphasis on seeking grant funding for libraries.  Students will work with a real library or non-profit organization (selected by the student), serving as a "consultant" to assess the client's funding needs, determine organizational priorities for funding, create a grant seeking plan, and develop a grant proposal aimed at meeting identified organizational needs. 

Course Requirements

By the end of Week 2 of the course, students must select a library or other non-profit organization (a "client") to work with throughout the semester.  It is recommended that students choose a client and make contact with the client before the course begins, confirming the organization's willingness to participate.  Several weeks before the course begins, the instructor will email additional information to students who enroll in the course, with further details regarding choosing a client and inviting a client to participate.

The assignments for this course are listed below.  For detailed descriptions of each assignment, along with grading rubrics, see the course site in Canvas.

• Discussion Board.  Discussion group participation is a critical aspect of this course.  Participating in regular discussions with your peers and instructor assesses your comprehension of the assigned readings, gives you an opportunity to display your depth of knowledge, prompts you to engage in critical thinking, and expands your learning as you explain your viewpoints and interact with your peers and instructor.  (25% of final grade)  Supports all Student Learning Outcomes for this course.
• Funding Priorities Report.  Prepare a report for your client summarizing your recommendations regarding potential grant funders for your client's project.  This assignment will consist of a table or spreadsheet listing at least five potential grant funding sources for your client.  In addition, prepare a cover memo explaining your funder report to your client and providing recommendations regarding how to use the information.  (20% of final grade)  Supports SLO 2, SLO 5, and SLO 6.
• Grant Award Announcement.  Develop an announcement that assumes your client has received a grant award as a result of the proposal you developed.  The announcement will be available for your client to publish on its blog or website, in its internal or external newsletter, or via email to a media outlet or email distribution list. (7.5% of final grade)  Supports SLO 4.
• Peer Review Feedback on Proposal Drafts.  In this assignment, you will take on the role of peer reviewer and analyze the proposals of your peers in the class.  This assignment will help you strengthen your own proposal development skills, as you learn to view grant proposals from the funder's perspective, while simultaneously benefitting your peers by providing diverse perspectives on their work.  (15% of final grade)  Supports SLO 3 and SLO 7.
• Final Proposal.  Develop a grant proposal for your client, aimed at seeking funding for a project your client desires to implement and developed specifically for a funder you identify as a good fit for your client and the project.  Your final proposal provides you with an opportunity to showcase all you have learned this semester, while also providing your client with a polished proposal, ready to submit to an identified funder.  (25% of final grade)  Supports SLO 4 and SLO 7.
• Reflective Blog.  The reflective blog will provide you with an opportunity to critically reflect on lessons learned as you worked with your client and developed your grant proposal.  Your reflections and critical thinking will expand your learning, so you are better prepared to implement what you've learned in the future and communicate your new knowledge to others. (7.5% of final grade)  Supports SLO 1, SLO 5, SLO 6, and SLO 7.

Course Calendar

• Module 1: Introduction to Grant Seeking and Course Overview
• Module 2: Client Analysis and Identifying a Fundable Project
• Module 3: Funder Research and Understanding the Funder's Perspective
• Module 4: The Needs Statement and Project Impact
• Module 5: Project Planning, Outcomes, Evaluation, and Dissemination
• Module 6: Project Budgets and Sustainability
• Module 7: Peer Review of Proposal Drafts
• Module 8: Reflections on Student Learning Outcomes for the Course

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Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

LIBR 200, LIBR 204. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the grant-seeking process.
2. Conduct research to locate sources of grant funding, analyze grantmaker guidelines, and assess whether potential funding sources match an organization and a specific project.
3. Describe funder perspectives and know how to communicate effectively with prospective grantmakers.
4. Write persuasive material that clearly articulates purpose, responds to the needs of an audience, uses the appropriate voice and tone, and builds stakeholder support.
5. Analyze an organization's grant-seeking practices, identify areas of potential improvement, and prioritize grant-seeking opportunities.
6. Assess specific library needs and future service development, identifying appropriate projects for grant funding.
7. Develop a competitive grant proposal, including budgets, implementation plans, and evaluation criteria.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

LIBR 282 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Durrance, J. C. & Fisher, K. E. (2005). How libraries and librarians help: A guide to identifying user-centered outcomes. ALA. Available through Amazon: 0838908926.

• Karsh, E., & Fox, A. (2014). The only grant-writing book you'll ever need. Basic Books. Available through Amazon: 0465058930

• Koch, D. S. (2009). How to say it grantwriting: Write proposals that grantmakers want to fund. Prentice Hall. Available through Amazon: 0735204454.

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Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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