Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere

Download the PDF Guidelines

A. Description

The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (CHPS), with the support of the Robert and Margaret Rothman Endowment for the Humanities, offers a Library Enhancement Grant to faculty members and graduate students at the University of Florida (UF). The Grant provides up to $4,000 for the acquisition of library resources – including print, digital, and audio-visual media – in a field of study in or related to the humanities, which is currently not well-served by UF’s collections. These resources are intended to enhance scholarly research and teaching in the humanities and allied fields. Priority will be given to requests that serve broad constituencies.

B. Eligibility

UF faculty and graduate students are eligible to apply. Courtesy faculty and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. Librarians with faculty status may be co-applicants but not lead applicants. Graduate student applicants should work with a faculty member to shape the application and will be required to submit a letter of support from a faculty member with the application. CHPS uses a definition of the humanities adapted from the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 as the basis for determining the eligibility of proposed projects.

C. Permitted Acquisitions

Grant funds may be used for costs incurred in the purchase and processing of materials, but not for salary. Grant funds may not be used for the purchase of textbooks or for subscriptions.

D. Library Consultations

Applicants are advised to consult or collaborate with their subject specialist librarian to develop the grant proposal and acquisition list. At a minimum, applicants should ascertain before applying whether the requested items are already owned by UF libraries and, if so, provide justifications in the proposal narrative for purchasing additional copies. In the case of digital acquisitions, applicants should also begin by contacting their subject specialist librarian to see if the proposed plan is feasible from the perspective of UF Smathers Libraries.

APPLICATION

Please provide the following information in the submission portal: https://forms.humanities.ufl.edu/library-enhancement/

1. Applicant Information:
   • Name of Applicant, Department/School and College, Rank, and Email
   • If applicable, Name of Co-applicant(s), UF Department/School and College, Rank, and Email
   • Name and Email of Applicant’s Chair or Director
   • Project Title
   • Amount Requested
   • Abstract (max. 100 words, written for a general audience)
2. Answer the following questions (200 words max, each):
   • What is the specific project or field(s) the resources will support?
   • How do the acquisitions complement or extend existing library collections?
   • Which potential constituencies will benefit from the purchases?
3. Upload an ACQUISITIONS LIST
   • Include a representative detailed and ranked list (in order of priority) of at least 50% of the desired acquisitions and an estimate of the total cost. The final list will be solicited from the applicant(s) if the grant is awarded. This list should consist of a bibliography, filmography, or detailed description of the items to be digitized, with an estimate of the cost of each work. Because the prices and shipping costs of library materials may differ from the prices available to the public, a ranked list will enable acquisition librarians to prioritize the most crucial materials.
4. GRADUATE STUDENT APPLICANTS ONLY – Upload a statement of support
   • Applications made by graduate students require a statement supporting the need for the acquisitions by a faculty member. Attach a PDF of an email.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The CHPS advisory board will review all applications with the following criteria:

• The significance for enhancement of library holdings in the humanities.
• The likelihood of the acquisitions to enhance holdings in one or more disciplines.
• The anticipated use of the enhanced holdings.

Priority will be given to applicants who do not have access to start-up funds or endowed research accounts and who have not been awarded a Library Enhancement Grant in the Humanities within the prior three years. In the case of graduate student lead applicants, preference will be given to proposals that articulate use and impact beyond individual projects.

PROPOSAL ASSISTANCE

Applicants are advised to write in clear, intelligible prose for the Center’s advisory board, which is comprised of faculty members from across the humanities. We invite applicants to write to the CHPS Director Jaime Ahlberg (jlahlberg@ufl.edu) in advance with queries about the fellowship, proposal writing, or to review a draft proposal. All drafts must be submitted at least one week prior to the grant deadline. For examples of previously funded projects, visit our website: https://humanities.ufl.edu/award-recipients/library-enhancement/