Apply for Funding

The College & Research Division is able to provide financial support  to organizations offering programming of interest to Pennsylvania academic librarians, through LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If your group is planning a meeting or workshop in Pennsylvania, you may submit an application. The primary requirement is that the event includes educational or professional development for academic librarians. Amounts requested generally should not exceed $2000. Please review the following FAQ for more info on requirements and what to include in the Professional Development Funds Request Application form.

Professional Development Funds FAQ

• What is Professional Development funding?
• Must the program appeal only to academic librarians?
• Who can apply for Professional Development Funds?
• How much money can be requested through PaLA- CRD?
• What costs can Professional Development funds cover?
• Are there any costs that the Professional Development funds cannot cover?
• If awarded Professional Development funds, does that mean we don’t have to charge attendees?
• How much should we charge for a program or an event?
• Should we charge the same price for PaLA members and nonmembers?
• How do I apply for  Professional Development Funds?
• How is the Professional Development request reviewed?
• Are there program topics that cannot be covered by Professional Development Funds?
• What should my learning outcomes include?
• If awarded Professional Development Funds, are there certain requirements that must be met if the funds are used?
• After the event, how do I receive reimbursement?
• Question not answered?

What is Professional Development Funding?

Since 1999, the PaLA College & Research Division has received LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funding through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries that enables it to provide financial support to organizations offering programming of interest to Pennsylvania academic librarians. The time frame for funding allocation is October 1 – September 30 of the following year. Most requests for program funding begin in January and run through June. Each request is considered on a first-come first-served basis.
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Must the program appeal only to academic librarians?

The Professional Development Funds that are administered through PaLA-CRD are primarily for programming that is relevant to academic librarians; however, programs that appeal to a wider audience will also be considered as long as the program includes educational or professional development for academic librarians.  This can include topics that are scholarly in nature, such as the research habits of undergraduates; are relevant to all librarians, such as information literacy; or general topics that will enhance an academic librarian’s skill set.
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Who can apply for Professional Development Funds?

Anyone offering programming that would provide an educational and/or professional development benefit to Pennsylvania academic librarians.  PaLA chapters, divisions and roundtables are highly encouraged to pursue  Professional Development Funds for their programming.
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How much money can be requested through PaLA-CRD?

The amount requested should generally not exceed $2000, although the Board can consider larger requests.  The funding is not meant to fully fund a program, but rather to help keep costs low for attendees.
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What costs can the Professional Development Funds cover?

Funding dollars can be used for such expenses as invited speaker’s fees and travel expenses (including invited speaker’s food costs), publicity, printing, and facility costs.  For speaking fees greater than $600, the speaker must complete an IRS W-9 form with their tax identification information, either an EIN or Social Security Number. The W-9 form must be sent to PaLA Headquarters. If a speaker is being reimbursed for their travel, food, hotel expenses, have them complete a Request for Reimbursement for Expenses form. 
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Are there any costs that Professional Development Funds cannot cover?

Professional Development Funds CANNOT cover the costs of food for attendees; however, food costs for invited speakers can be covered by these funds. Professional Development Funds CANNOT cover the costs of door prizes. Also, CRD will not provide Professional Development Funds to cover the cost of awards. Professional Development Funds CANNOT be used to cover any subscription costs. This includes web meeting platforms such as Zoom.
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If awarded Professional Development Funds, does that mean we don’t have to charge attendees?

Professional Development Funds are not necessarily meant to cover the total costs of a program, but rather to lower the costs for the organization and the attendees.  Additionally, charging a fee to attend a program has proven to be effective in managing attendance.  It can also provide a way for PaLA chapters or committees to raise funds for other expenses.
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How much should we charge for a program or an event?

Much of that will depend on your projected budget (see sample budget ). The program cost to attendees must be enough to insure you bring in enough income to cover all the costs.  Additionally, since Professional Development Funds cannot cover food expenses, the cost to attend an event must fully cover those expenses.  Adding a modest amount above the cost of the program also allows units to plan for future events and activities.
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Should we charge the same price for PaLA members and nonmembers?

No.  When charging registration fees for a workshop that is NOT fully funded by Professional Development Funds (excluding food costs) your organization should charge approximately twice the amount for non-PaLA members as members are charged. Charging different rates for members and nonmembers strengthens the value of PaLA membership and will hopefully generate new memberships. However, if all costs are paid by Professional Development Funds, then one fee may be charged (for lunch) since there would be no registration fee for the session.
For example:
Registration fee for PaLA members $30 + $10 food = $40
Registration fee for non-members $60 + $10 food = $70
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How do I apply for Professional Development Funds?

Your organization should fill out a Professional Development Funds Request Application form, with sufficient lead time (at least one month before the planned event) for the CRD Board to review the request,  before funds are approved.  Before starting on the form, the organization should have the following:

• Sponsoring Organization Information (name, contact name, phone, email)
• Event Information (event date, location, amount of Professional Development Funds requested, projected total budget, event purpose and how the event will appeal and be marketed to academic librarians)
• A itemized budget projection for the event (see sample budget )

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How is the Professional Development Funds request reviewed?

The PaLA CRD committee will review and evaluate requests as they are received.  Requests are evaluated on such criteria as learning objectives, relevance to academic librarians, thoroughness of budgetary considerations, and marketing to academic librarians, using a rubric. Requesters will be notified within approximately one week from submission.
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Are there program topics that cannot be covered by Professional Development Funds?

Yes. Advocacy and grant writing programs cannot be covered by Professional Development Funds, as they are programs that are designed to help attendees solicit money or legislation. Also, CRD will not provide Professional Development Funds to cover the cost of awards.
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What should my learning outcomes include?

Learning outcomes are statements that specify what learners will know or be able to do. Simple learning outcomes include information about both what action the attendees will take (a verb phrase), and what result will come from that action.

Sample
By the end of the workshop attendees will be able to:
describe the differences between major e-book vendors
select the most appropriate vendor for their needs.
explain some of the challenges involved with system set up.

Since the learner’s performance should be measurable, the verb chosen for each outcome statement should be an action verb which results in overt behavior that can be observed and measured (analyze, design, predict, create, apply, demonstrate, compare, critique, assess, etc.). Avoid vague verbs, such as: know, appreciate, understand, become aware of, learn, etc.

Learning outcomes are important because they demonstrate workshop effectiveness. Program evaluations must include questions related to the learning outcomes. We would like to know if the attendees thought the workshop learning outcomes were met.

For Example
Are you able to describe the differences between major e-book vendors? (Likert Scale 1-5)
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If awarded Professional Development Funds, are there certain requirements that must be met if the funds are used?

Yes, the following are all required if Professional Development Funds are awarded:

• All flyers, announcements, etc. about a workshop that has been sponsored with Professional Development Funds MUST include this statement:

“This project is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, Governor.”

Support is also provided by the College and Research Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association (https://crdpala.org/).

Show your appreciation by becoming a member of PaLA! And if you are a member – thank you!

• Notification of the workshop/conference must be sent to all Pennsylvania academic librarians. This can be done via mailings and/or listserv notifications.  For help with listserv notifications contact the CRD Chair. Listservs to include:
  • PAMailAll
  • PA-ACADS (Lyrasis)
  • PALCI
  • ACLCP
  • ACRL-DVC
  • ACRL-WPWVC
  • PASSHE (SSHELCO)
  • PSU
  • TCLC
• Additionally, you must collect evaluation information from attendees which will be provided in grant reporting to the Pennsylvania Office of Commonwealth Libraries. You may use the form below, or put the questions into your own evaluation. Data for these four questions must be provided to CRD after your event.Form: https://forms.gle/16fGmt85tuNHWgvy8

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Next Steps: How do I receive reimbursement after my event?

Following the workshop, in order to receive reimbursement funds, please send the following to crdpala@gmail.com, preferably within 2 weeks of the event:

1. A brief online report about the meeting, describing the event/program and summarizing evaluations, must be completed. Include a list of attendee names and their libraries (this could be your sign-in sheet or registration list with actual attendees marked), noting how many of the attendees are from academic libraries.
2. A final expense report (Example Expense Report) must be emailed to crdpala@gmail.com for the organization to receive payment
3. Original receipts for expenses to be covered by Professional Development Funds must be emailed to Kim Snyder Wise, Education and Finance Manager for PaLA to kim@palibraries.org and copied to crdpala@gmail.com. You must submit these along with a Request for Reimbursement of Expenses Form.
4. Organizers should also complete a separate Request for Reimbursement of Expenses Form if a speaker requires reimbursement for travel, hotel, food, etc. expenses and include copies of the speaker’s receipts. If a speaker receives a speaking fee over $600, they must fill out a W-9 (IRS) form, which should also be emailed to kim@palibraries.org. Their speaking fee should also be included on the reimbursement form, and speaker fees will be paid by CRD after the event.

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Your question not answered here?

Send an email to CRD:  crdpala *at* gmail *dot* com.