University Libraries Receives Two Grants from Jimmy A. Payne Foundation

News item published on: 2021-07-21 14:23:26

University Libraries received two grants from the Jimmy A. Payne Foundation, totaling $83,000. Grants were awarded to Public Services and Library Technology to provide greater opportunities for the University’s faculty, staff, students, alumni, and researchers to access the services and collections provided in University Libraries.

Librarians in Public Services received a grant award for $33,000 to establish a three-month fellowship for graduates of the School of Library and Information Science. The fellowship will be offered twice each year, in the spring and summer, with residencies at Cook Library and the Gulf Coast Library.

Working alongside faculty librarians will provide fellows with an invaluable skill set. Experience in public services will allow the fellows to develop proficiencies in providing specialized information literacy instruction, research consultations and related services to undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in programs across the University. This fellowship offers newly degreed librarians a real-world experience as a professional librarian, which will elevate their standing in a competitive job market, raising both the profile of the individual librarian and the reputation of The University of Southern Mississippi.

The grant proposal was written by Jamie Stanfield, business and health library and online learning coordinator, Michele Frasier-Robinson, education and human sciences librarian, and Tisha Zelner, head of public services.

Library Technology was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Jimmy A. Payne Foundation to enhance the Libraries’ digital lab. This funding will be used to purchase flatbed scanners, transparency lids, high-end computers, monitors, and memory and will allow for old equipment to be rotated out, increasing production quality, and providing students experience with current hardware likely to be encountered in the field.

University Libraries digital lab plays a variety of roles both within the Libraries, across the campus community, and beyond. Online access to items in Special Collections is provided by digitizing materials, increasing access to rare research materials. The digital lab partners with faculty to digitize materials for their research and collaborate on grants and special projects with faculty and departments. Faculty are also able to allow their students to learn digitization skills, metadata description, and digital humanities tools in a hands-on environment by either bringing students ino the lab or having the equipment brought to the classroom.

The grant proposal was written by Elizabeth La Beaud, digital lab manager, and Lisa Jones, head of library technology.