Grants Open to Public Libraries in Certain Developing Countries for Partnership & Innovation Projects

The Public Library Innovation Program is looking for new ideas to fund.

The Public Library Innovation Program (PLIP) aims to spark innovative library services that improve people’s lives through the use of technology. This 3-year grant program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will help public libraries in developing and transitioning countries become centers of community life.

The program is designed to encourage public libraries to partner with local government, business, and other organizations to assess local needs and develop new services. There will be two rounds of funding. The deadline for Round One is 28 February 2010. This round carries 10 grants of up to $30,000 USD each.

As the website explains:

Technology has transformed public libraries throughout the world, providing access to critical education materials and communication services. Yet in many developing and transitioning countries where the need is great, public libraries are under resourced. Funding authorities may see libraries or similar organizations as valued assets but are often unaware of the dynamic role they could be playing in their communities. Libraries will be more likely to attract funding if they can demonstrate that they will implement activities proven to improve the lives of the community in which they are located.

Public libraries in the following countries are eligible for Round One:
Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, People's Republic of China, Colombia, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), Poland, Guatemala, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The second call for proposals will be open to all developing and transitioning countries. This Round Two will award 10 grants of up to $15,000 USD each, and the deadline is 31 May, 2011.

See the full Call for Proposals here.

12 tips to improve corporate writing

Katie Baduesz wrote an great article listing 12 tips to improve corporate writing. I think they apply to libraries as well.

She stresses the importance of writing for your audience and to take into account that no one has time to read anything that isn't interesting and relevant. Read the full article here.

1. Be clear Don’t get caught up using technical terms and convoluted sentence structures.

2. Use action verbs - Try using visual verbs—verbs you can picture happening, such as plunge, hover, unveil and rebound.

3. Apply active voice Noun-verb construction works best. For example, say “He made a mistake,” not “Mistakes were made.”

4. Specify everything Be concrete in your words and state everything directly.

5. Avoid jargon If you must use jargon, limit the number of terms you use and don’t forget to define them.

6. Focus on people Ylisela suggests finding real people to help write a story. “People make stories. The more often we can tell a story about a process, program or policy by focusing on the people affected, the better off we are. Processes, programs and policies are inherently boring. Nobody wants to hear about those things. People want to hear about people,” he says.

With this in mind, get out of your office, go find people and see what’s going on. Do interviews in person or over the telephone. And avoid e-mail interviews at all costs—you can’t get a sense of personality over e-mail.

7. Compose high-quality headlines A good headline should be short (around four to five words) and accurate.

8. Don’t forget the lede Answer the question “What is this story about?” in a creative, inviting way, and you’re sure to win the reader’s attention.

9. Include quotes Readers want to hear a "real" point of view and they want to understand what’s being said.

10. Write with your ear

11. Allow yourself to write crap Good writing involves rewriting, so embrace the chaos and then walk away.

12. Take chances Start thinking outside of the box when considering topics to write about.

British Red Phone Booth Library

OMG this is so much fun!!
Margie Gorman turned me onto this post from Black Threads in Kid's Lit:

Residents of the British village of Westbury-sub-Mendip are on record with the smallest, functioning library in the UK. This converted British Telecom red phone booth is now a library - complete with children's books! Actually, this library stocks about 100 books. According to Daily Mail, the library is open 24 hours and is lit. Additionally, the phone company, "BT has received 770 applications for communities to 'adopt a kiosk' and so far 350 old boxes have been handed to parish councils." Enj