(via the Reaching Across Illinois Library System)
Do you have a great idea for a continuing education event but don’t know where to get the funding to make your idea a reality? Are you willing to offer the event to other RAILS member libraries? A RAILS Continuing Education Event Grant<https://railslibraries.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c51285b8d63e23716bce030f&id=731f372c01&e=6883f1b9eb> may be your answer!
A big part of RAILS’ mission is to offer continuing education (CE) to the staff at our member libraries of all types (academic, public, school, and special). To help us provide additional CE opportunities, RAILS provides grants to individual RAILS libraries, RAILS networking groups, and RAILS consortia to offer CE events that are made available to all RAILS member libraries and are of interest to a wide range of library staff. The deadline for the next grant award period is November 30. See more information<https://railslibraries.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c51285b8d63e23716bce030f&id=1d61ae3abe&e=6883f1b9eb> and grant conditions.<https://railslibraries.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c51285b8d63e23716bce030f&id=f34aa4a6e7&e=6883f1b9eb>
In FY2018, RAILS awarded grants for 10 events and 1,206 RAILS members attended these events. Examples of award-winning grant projects include:
* Librarians Working Together networking group staff development day, featuring sessions on safety and difficult patrons, collection development, programming, and technology
* RSA Day, featuring keynote speaker, Miguel Figueroa from ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries, and other breakout sessions
* Library UX Chicago workshop on effective storytelling with data
* LACONI program: Strengthening the Virtuous Circle: Why Diversity and Cultural Competence are Important to Library Service
If you are from a RAILS library, networking group, or consortia and have an idea for a CE event that you can make available to other RAILS library staff, apply for a grant today! If you have questions about this grant offering, contact Joe Filapek<mailto:joseph.filapek@railslibraries.info>, RAILS Director of Consulting and Continuing Education, 630.734.5132.
Apply for a RAILS Partnership Grant by November 16
RAILS is offering grants to encourage RAILS members to pursue partnerships featuring creative solutions that address community needs and further RAILS goals and strategic initiatives. RAILS member libraries of all types (academic, public, school, and special) can apply for up to $5,000 for programs and services that involve a collaboration with other libraries, businesses, nonprofits, and/or government agencies.
Applications are due on Friday, November 16. For more information and conditions, please see the RAILS Partnership Grant<https://railslibraries.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c51285b8d63e23716bce030f&id=5821de13ac&e=6883f1b9eb> web page.