Resources and funding for my research on libraries and public media?

May 24, 2017 2:07 PM

Hi! I’m interested in doing some research on collaborations between libraries and public media outlets. I am a full-time public radio employee (I’m an on-air host so what I’d be researching is not specifically job-related), and I’m not looking to leave my job. But I need a project! And I’d like to find resources not only for actually doing the project, but also for paying for it.

Ideally I’d love to find some kind of arrangement that would provide a structure in which to do this research, support, and smart people who could help me out if I get stuck.

I’m aware of the Nieman and Reynolds Journalism Institute fellowships, which might be something I’d (aspirationally) look at. But is there something big I should know about? Something small? And librarians of Metafilter (and I know there are many…) is there some kind of structure/funding in the library world that might work for this?

Thanks in advance!

posted by supercoollady to Education (2 answers total)

I’m aware of the Nieman and Reynolds Journalism Institute fellowships, which might be something I’d (aspirationally) look at.

Yes, and talk to Melody Kramer who did some great stuff with public radio. She's a big library fan and might have some good ideas.

is there some kind of structure/funding in the library world that might work for this?

Sort of. That is, there aren't library grants that do this sort of thing exactly but there are groups who fund things that are library-adjacent that you might be able to get some traction from. I've been involved with a number of weird little projects like this over the years and depending on what exactly you're doing there is also

- Knight Foundation if you're doing something that might have a deliverable
- Mozilla Foundation if you're doing something that might benefit their training modules or has an open content aspect
- IMLS if they continue to exist
- local historical societies (i.e. state level) if you want to publish and/or are doing something that has historical research as part of it.
- local communities which receive block grants if what you are working on might help disadvantaged populations where you are
- LOTS of community-type grants from local development agencies

If you are working on something national, I have less advice but I'd be pinging people from RAD (i.e. the NPR library) to just pick someone's brain there. They are super nice.

I know it sounds bizarre, but libraries are historically even broke-r than public media in terms of having money to give to outside organizations or people. That said, they are ALL about collaboration so it might be worth talking to the people at your local large public library (if you live in or near a city, if your profile info is correct I could probably introduce you to someone) to see if there's some sort of grant they could write which would fun you and them. Keep in mind though that if you have a full-time job, it will be tricky to try to partner with folks who will see you as not needing money or not having time. Figure out what you need exactly from other organizations early on in this process and figure out also what's in it for them. Libraries, like schools, constantly have people pitching ideas to them in the same way public media does ("oh you know what would be a GREAT show...?") so think about how your project solves a problem for them while you think about how you can do what you want to do. Good luck.
posted by jessamyn at 2:52 PM on May 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

This is from 2011, but I attended the Beyond Books conference (as an LIS doctoral student) at MIT's Media Lab hosted by a group called Journalism That Matters.

I've kind of lost touch with some of the people and groups, but there might be some leads there.
posted by pantarei70 at 3:16 PM on May 24, 2017 [1 favorite]