Bess G. de Farber – författare

Interaction with strangers cultivates creativity and provides opportunities for joining forces to achieve great ends. However most people tend to avoid talking or working with people they do not know, whether in the library, a classroom, or in academic and nonprofit settings. And to do so is to short-circuit much of the creative potential that is so necessary for innovation, and that organizational stakeholders crave. Enter CoLAB. Developed and presented by de Farber at workshops across the country, and used by the authors to successfully spur collaboration at the University of Florida (including faculty-librarian, librarian-librarian, librarian-student, faculty-faculty, student-student, and student-librarian-community member), it showcases the power of face-to-face conversations. Leading readers through a unique framework that breaks down barriers to collaboration while also kindling long-lasting enthusiasm, this manual includes:testimonials from workshop participants that demonstrate the benefits of a Collaborating with Strangers workshop;step by step guidance on every aspect of organizing and presenting a CoLAB workshop;helpful photographs and diagrams that show prep and workshops in action;ready to use surveys for assessment before and after the workshop;grant proposal development techniques for bringing two or more organizations together on a project;pointers on how to adapt the workshop for ice-breakers, conference programs, or classrooms; andsamples of workshop promotion pieces that can be adapted as needed.Libraries have always connected patrons to resources and information; this resource shows how, through successful group collaboration, organizations can extend that connection to include the talents and assets of community members.

Grant money can make the difference in developing new services, creating worldwide access to your unique collections, or enabling you to showcase awarded projects that advance your career. But competition for grants is as fierce as ever. To get a leg up, you need an insider who will share proven strategies for success. In this book, Bess de Farber, who has led the management of 187 awarded grant projects from under $5,000 to more than $1 million at the University of Florida, does just that. Drawing from profiles of 57 grant proposals, sponsored by 31 funders including federal agencies, foundations, and library organizations, her detailed 10-step workflow guides you through submitting and managing collaborative grant proposals. You will learnabout successful projects related to digitization, preservation, research, technology, and more, including such initiatives as digital publishing on Black life, audio of the sounds of the Panama Canal, digitization of scientific fieldwork from the 1960s, and supporting learning with smart pens;the crucial components of a fundable project plan, with a particular emphasis on collaboration, both internally and with external organizations;the fundamentals of crafting your own grant proposal, using as models the successful grant proposals included in full, with budgets, as weblinks;how to recruit partners and shape ideas;ways to incorporate assets and supporting materials into your plan; andadvice on anticipating the unexpected, how to stay in communication with your partners while the proposal is being reviewed, what to do once you receive notification, and fostering a culture of grantsmanship at your institution.By lifting the veil on the mysteries of grantseeking, this book will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to create fundable grant proposals.

A collaborative approach to grant seeking can stimulate and reshape the culture of your library organization. The exciting and rewarding activities of developing a successful grants program can yield enormous dividends for the benefit of your staff, patrons, and community. Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians will share new insights for those who want to access grant funding without reinventing the wheel. Based on years of practical grant writing and collaboration development experience, this resource provides a complete guide for setting up a library grant-seeking program, and for combining forces with community partners to increase grant funding to libraries. Venturing into the grants world can be scary and unpredictable. This book offers detailed strategies and practical steps to establish a supportive and collaborative environment that creates the capacity to consistently develop fundable proposals, and gives readers the confidence needed to make grant-seeking activities commonplace within libraries.Collaborative Grant-Seeking will share featured topics unavailable in other grant writing publications, such as:interpreting sponsor guidelinesidentifying appropriate funding programsdetermining the feasibility of project ideasasset-based (vs. need-based) proposal development strategiesactual examples of successful and unusual library projectsinitiating and sustaining collaborative relationships