💡 Call for Proposals 💡

  • Submission Deadline: October 31, 2019
  • Project Initiation: January 2020
  • Project Completion: April 2021

Collections as Data: Part to Whole is pleased to share the cohort 2 call for proposals! We’ll award $300,000 to six teams in this round and look forward to working with you. We welcome any questions that you might have as you consider putting a proposal forward. Though we continue to support the development of collections as data focused on text data and their metadata, we are especially looking forward to proposals that engage with various types of objects such as 3-dimensional artifacts, audio and visual materials, and born digital. Languages represented in collections other than English are also encouraged. Feel free to contact us directly or using this form with questions.

A bit of background

Increasingly, cultural heritage organizations dedicate effort to ethically grounded creation of machine actionable collections. The concept of collections as data is frequently used to align efforts in this space. In 2016, Always Already Computational: Collections as Data began documenting, iterating on, and sharing current and potential approaches to developing and supporting the use of machine actionable cultural heritage collections. Always Already Computational found that cultural heritage professionals desired opportunities to shift work in this space from an emergent to core organizational activity.

Collections as Data: Part to Whole was formed to help spark this shift.

What we’re looking for

Collections as Data: Part to Whole (see grant narrative) fosters the development of models that (1) support computational use of collections as data (2) and models that support collections as data creation. With generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Part to Whole is funding and programmatically supporting two collections as data cohorts. We seek proposals from teams jointly led by a librarian, archivist, or museum professional with senior administrative responsibilities, a disciplinary scholar, and a project lead.

Teams apply for $50,000 to support the development of a use model, an implementation model, and a new collection as data.

  • Use model - should describe the positions, specific duties, services, and collaborations that will support computational use of collections as data by specific communities. Addresses how all of the above will be sustained post funding.

  • Implementation model - should describe the workflows, infrastructure, code, positions, specific duties, and services that make it possible to create and provide access to collections as data. Addresses how all of the above will be sustained post funding.

  • Collection as data - exhibit high research value, demonstrate the capacity to serve underrepresented communities, represents a diversity of content types (text, images, audio, video, metadata, etc.), languages, and descriptive practices, and arises from a range of institutional contexts (R1, liberal arts college, community college, etc.). Your collection need not exhibit all content types listed.

Competitive proposals will evidence commitment to creative and sustainable collaborations across an organization that support computational use of collections as data. As you develop your proposal, we encourage you to think about the kinds of collaborations you’ve been wanting to have with colleagues across your organization. Use this opportunity to bridge silos in unexpected ways. Plan for those bridges to be sustained. There is a place in this work for people throughout an organization, including but not limited to liaisonship, teaching and learning, repository development, digital collections, digital scholarship, archives, scholarly communication and more. Proposals are further strengthened by their ability to evidence how project team members will be administratively supported throughout their project and how the project will continue to be supported, and potentially expanded, after the funded project is complete.

What you’ll receive if funded

$50,000 to support the development of a use model, an implementation model, and a new collection as data.

Funding may be used for the following activities:

  • Buying out staff and/or faculty time
  • Fees associated with team training
  • Room rental and catering for meetings
  • Conference travel to present on the project
  • Consultants from outside the institution

Funded teams join a cohort of 6 and are programmatically supported by a two-day Team Lead Institute where team leaders will be invited to learn from others and strengthen their work. The Team Lead Institute will be facilitated by two invited experts and the Part to Whole project team. Project leads will also join the rest of the cohort at a public Summative Forum towards the end of the project to present the models, collection, and invite feedback from a broader audience. Funded teams will also have opportunities to seek feedback from the Part to Whole Advisory Board.

Some guidelines

Per The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, indirect costs cannot be funded.

We discourage proposals that ask for funds for contingent or temporary labor. Student labor may be funded through the project as long as the students are fairly paid, and all participants are credited in project materials. Funds may not be used to pay for digitization or hardware.

Evaluation Criteria

  1. Use model demonstrates:
    • Innovative, cross-division and/or cross-departmental formation of positions and services that support the use of collections as data
    • Local sustainability
    • Ready potential for adaptability by other institutions
  2. Implementation model demonstrates:
    • Innovative, cross-division and/or cross-departmental formation of positions and services needed to implement collections as data
    • Local sustainability
    • Ready potential for adaptability by other institutions
  3. Proposed collections as data evidence:
    • significant research value
    • the perspectives of underrepresented and/or oppressed groups

  4. The proposed project demonstrates commitment to developing and implementing processes for addressing complex ethical issues inherent to engagement with cultural heritage data, and the needs of marginalized and underrepresented communities.

  5. The proposed project evidences knowledge of complementary collections, standards, and initiatives in the library field and scholarly disciplines that speak to project goals.

  6. The proposed project utilizes open source technologies that aim for interoperability (where appropriate) with a broader open scholarly communication infrastructure.

Strong proposals will further evidence how project team members will be administratively supported throughout the project and how the project will continue to be supported, and potentially expanded, after the funded project is complete.

Some requirements

Project leads for each project will participate in the Team Lead Institute and Summative Forum. The cost of attendance for the three team leads will be covered by Part to Whole and need not be budgeted in project proposals.

Data and code developed in the course of the project must be released openly. Exceptions can be made for data in the event that open release presents an ethical issue.

Who can apply

The applicant institution must be located in the United States or in an associated entity, e.g., the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or American Samoa.

Submissions

Proposals should follow this format and be submitted here.

(1) Name of project

(2) List of team members, titles, and roles on the project

(3) Investigator Bios

(4) Summary of Project

(5) Project Rationale and Statement of Significance (approximately 1500 words)

  • The reason for the project, how it aims to serve particular communities; to what extent, if any, needs are currently addressed by your institution or other institutions, what needs to be done; what your institution needs to accomplish these tasks.

  • Outline of proposed collection’s significance and research value (see evaluation criteria for details).

(6) Project Plan

  • Describe how the project will address ethical issues specific to the proposed collections as data work.

  • Draft Use model - should describe the positions, specific duties, services, and collaborations that will support computational use of collections as data by specific communities. Addresses how all of the above will be sustained post funding.

  • Draft Implementation model - should describe the workflows, infrastructure, code, positions, specific duties, and services that make it possible to create and provide access to collections as data. Addresses how all of the above will be sustained post funding.

  • An overview of the material to be made available as data.

  • Plan for the care and continued use of the collection after the funded portion of the project ends.

(7) Timeline of completion

(8) Budget and budget narrative

(9) Statements of support

  • from the library director or administrative equivalent addressing what concrete measures they will take to make sure the project team has the resources it needs to complete the project - this may include proposed temporary revisions to job descriptions and the establishment of official working groups with representation at leadership council meetings

  • from the librarian, archivist, or museum professional with senior administrative responsibility addressing how this project will benefit their institution and how library team members will be supported in accomplishing their tasks

  • from the disciplinary scholar addressing how the data produced by this project will support the advancement of research

  • from the project lead describing how the project will be organized

Contact

Thomas Padilla, thomas.padilla@unlv.edu

Code of Conduct

All project activity, both in person and online, aims to foster a welcoming and inclusive experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, nationality, or political beliefs. Harassment of participants will not be tolerated in any form. Harassment includes any behavior that participants find intimidating, hostile or offensive. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Please contact any member of the project team if you have concerns.