granting wishes: roles and challenges implementing grants with multiple partners
TRANSCRIPT
GRANTING WISHES:
ROLES & CHALLENGES
IMPLEMENTING GRANTS WITH
MULTIPLE PARTNERS
CSU ARCHIVES COLLABORATION
● Japanese American Digitization Project has been funded
three times for over $600,000 by a NEH Planning Grant, a
National Parks Service Japanese American Confinement
Sites Program and an NEH Implementation Grant.
● First collaboration among CSU Archives--started with 6,
now 15 CSU campuses and 2 other partners. Hopefully
lead to other projects.
● The NEH Implementation Grant is one of the few grants
listed as an example on the grants page for NEH’s
Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
FORMULATING A PROJECT● Generate a persuasive grant idea. Brainstorm. Come up
with sellable idea/a hot topic. What is trending in the past.
● Conceptualize a grant project...beyond the idea.
● Meet with colleagues at conferences or workshops
Collaboration--the new current buzzword. Collaborate not
only with archivists/librarians but with scholars and other
stakeholders.
● Determine what is needed to accomplish the goals of this
project.
● Formulate an excellent implementation team. Figure out
which grantors fit the bill.
Japanese Farmer’s Lease Cancelled in 1942
CSUDH Archives
GRANT WRITING DETAILS
● Writing the grant: work plans, significance of grant,
methodology, sustainability and project outcomes.
● It is important to devise or visualize the entire project
including an advisory committee, letters of support,
consultants, employees, and extras the grantors will
like such as exhibitions, papers, or presentations.
● Anticipate not only what they want to hear but also
what you see as way the grant will evolve with tech
changes or emerging trends.
● Budget issues. Cost share confusion.
Barracks at Manzanar
Cal Poly SLO Archives
APPLYING FOR GRANTS
● Talk to the grants officer at professional meetings—
listen. Or contact them. This is essential.
● Believe what you write. Write a clear and concise
proposal.
● Follow the directions. Did your proposal fit the
grantor’s requirements.
● Send draft to project officers—take the suggestions.
● Finish the grant before the deadline.
Tule Lake Stockade Letter
SJSU Archives
RESULTS
So what has the $600,000 gotten us?
● 2-3 Employees.
● An unknown number of consultants.
● Work with collaborators has been great (Project
Archivist may have another opinion).
● Getting the funds to collaborators has been difficult.
● Community expectations range from pleased to critical.
● Always keeping an eye out for new collections and
ways to extend the project.
Sakaye Shigekawa-Only Woman in USC
Chemistry Lab, 1936
CSU Fullerton Oral History
CONSULTANT PERSPECTIVE & ROLES● Assist director with project scope, planning, & management
● Writing/adjusting grants and reports
● Site visits
● Focus on technical needs and specifications
● Keep work flowing & adjust workflow as need be
● Problem solving, implementation, hands-on work as needed
● Research & deal with emergent issues
● Expand contextual aspects (web site, exhibits, teaching guides)
● Documentation
● Assessment
ALL GRANT PROJECTS ARE NOT
EQUAL● Loss of Administrative or Financial Support
● Lack of Defined Vision
● Gap Between Goals & Reality
● Changing or Inadequate Leadership
● Reluctant Partners or Difficult Personalities
● Follow-Through Issues
● Loss of Momentum
● Temporal Challenges
● Varying Staff Support
● Technical Change
● Shortage of Resources
Intake Photos from Tule Lake
SJSU Archives
INDICATORS OF SUCCESS● Ongoing Vision (Energy & Commitment)
● Noble, Realistic Goals (Mind the Gap)
● Consistent Leadership & Expert Advisors
● Eager Partners with Good Follow-Through
● Talent in the Trenches
● Expandable Collaboration
● Balanced & Distributed Workload
● Learning from Doing
● Technological Expertise & Agility
● Good Tools
● Flexible Adjustments (More or Less)
● Ongoing Reality Checks to Gauge Success
HIRABAYASHI ARTICLE WRITTEN FOR
CSUJAD
Ishibashi Family Party
DECEMBER 6, 1941
CSUDH Archives
Ishibashi Family & Friends at Poston in 1942
CSUDH Archives
Digital Archivist’s Perspective:
Implementing the Grant
http://kingofwallpapers.com/iceberg.html
http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/August/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-nuts-and-
bolts.asp
Getting Down to Business...
Digital
Archivist
The Many Hats of the Digital Archivist
Excel Spreadsheet
Tab-Delimited File
Digital Object
ContentDM Project Client
California State University Japanese American Digitization Project
Website: www. CSUJAD.com
Digital
Archivist
Project Manager
The Many Hats of the Digital Archivist
Basecamp
Digital
Archivist
Project Manager
Supervisor
The Many Hats of the Digital Archivist
Training Students and Scanners
● Scanning standards and best practices
● Metadata project standards, file naming conventions
● Handling fragile archival material
Fragile Archival
Materials
Digital
Archivist
Project Manager
Supervisor
Cataloger
The Many Hats of the Digital Archivist
Cataloger
● Solidify project metadata
standards
● Actually CATALOG the
materials that CSUDH is
contributing….. (*remember
Greg’s 15K figure?)
http://www.jonsherwood.com/single-post/2016/06/17/Living-in-the-
Tension
Reconciling the Past, Present,
and Future
http://www.gabi-software.com/software/gabi-software/gabi/benefits/
Focusing on the Pros
● New skills
● New people
● New resource
● New
Possibilities!
MORE INFORMATION
CONTACTSGregory L. WilliamsDirector Archives and Special Collections [email protected]://archives.csudh.edu
Rachel MandellCSUJAD Digital [email protected]
Maureen BurnsIMAGinED [email protected]://imageminders.net/