1. Funding Your School Library Media Center Strategic Starting Points WIT 2003-2004 Delta Meeting February, 27, 2004

2. Steps in the process: Take inventory: – What do you already have on which to build? Excellent staff, relationships with the community, principal advocate, active students, programming ideas, etc.? – Where are the gaps? Where do you see a need for expansion, improvement, or support?

3. Creative thinking… Be innovative… – Consider how you can take your strengths and weaknesses, and combine them – Consider strategic partnerships where you demonstrate your ability to collaborate and accomplish as part of a team – Consider how this program or request can be sustained or have impact beyond initial funding

4. Partnerships Technology with non- technology Teachers with media specialists – Science – Mathematics – History/Social Science – Language Arts – Health

5. Resources: CPS: a first stop!: http://www.cps.k12.il.us/AboutCPS/Departments/Libraries/librarians.ht m http://www.cps.k12.il.us/AboutCPS/Departments/Libraries/librarians.ht m TechLearning: http://techlearning.com/resources/grants.jhtml http://techlearning.com/resources/grants.jhtml Illinois State Library: School Library Per Capita Grant (apps. Accepted beginning in Sept.) http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/library/isl/grants/04pcapfact.pd f Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) Grants http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/library/isl/grants/FY2004lsta.ht ml – Make it fit the Long Range Plan for the LSTA (2004-2007) http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/library/isl/grants/LSTALongRang e2003.doc http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/library/isl/grants/LSTALongRang e2003.doc

6. Examples of success Partnerships: – Elementary School Storytelling in community: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/dep artments/library/what_we_do/pdfs/s torytelling.pdf http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/dep artments/library/what_we_do/pdfs/s torytelling.pdf – Schools partnering with public libraries: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/dep artments/library/what_we_do/sixsch ools.html http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/dep artments/library/what_we_do/sixsch ools.html

7. You’re not alone! First time grant writer shares her pain: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/de partments/library/what_we_do/pd fs/GrantWriter.pdf School Grants Org: http://www.schoolgrants.org/index. htm http://www.schoolgrants.org/index. htm

8. Books Hoffman, Frank W., ed. Grantsmanship for small libraries and school library media centers. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1999. Burlingame, Dwight, ed. Library fundraising: models for success. Chicago: American Library Association, 1995. Barber, Peggy and Linda D. Crowe. Getting your grant: a how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New York: Neal- Schuman Publishers, 1993. Created by S.L.Comstock