For additional information on funding opportunities, please contact:

Mary Piorun
508-856-2206
508-856-5977 (fax)
Mary.Piorun@umassmed.edu

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NN/LM New England Region Awards

NER announces the availability awards in support of projects that advance the National Library of Medicine’s mission to improve access to health information. Network members can apply for awards via brief proposals that describe the target audience, scope, and expected outcome of the project. Awards are offered in support of technology, outreach, and professional development. Awards will be made under the following categories:

Express Outreach

Express Outreach is the broad category of awards for projects involving community outreach, professional development, and instructional design.

• Library Services to Health Agencies Awards supports outreach to health related organizations based on the unit cost of services (document delivery, reference consultations, training sessions) to be provided.


• Member Program Awards is for development of a training program directed at health information professionals or healthcare providers in areas related to health information access.


• Community Preparedness is for collaborative planning or promotion of community resources for emergency preparedness.


• Community Engagement Awards support short-term outreach projects that involve advancing health information resources in collaboration with local community groups. These projects are smaller than extensive outreach subcontracts.


• Exhibits Awards are for members' participation at venues that promote health information resources. Funds support registration and fees, travel, and related expenses. Members can promote their local library resources while promoting the National Library of Medicine.


• Health Information Research Awards supports the development and implementation of a project investigating outcomes related to health information interventions.


• Technology Improvement Awards is for supporting equipment purchases to broaden electronic access to health information.

See the full Call for Participation for guidelines, eligibility, restrictions, and awards amounts.

• Multiple projects throughout the region will be funded.
• Proposals are currently being accepted on a rolling basis pending funds availablity.
• Approved projects must be completed on or before April 30, 2013.

Please refer to the Projects Funded by the New England Region for a list of projects funded under the 2006-2011 RML contract.

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NN/LM New England Region Outreach Subcontracts

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine—New England Region (NN/LM-NER) announces the availability of Health Information Outreach Subcontracts. You can find more information in the complete Request for Proposals.

• $25,000 is available to fund one or more projects.
• Proposals are due February 10, 2012.
• Approved projects will be contacted on or before February 24, 2012.
• Funded projects can begin their performance period May 1, 2012. Performance Period should not exceed 12 months.

The primary purpose of the Health Information Outreach Subcontract is to assist Network members and other health-related agencies in their efforts to provide information services and training to audiences not normally reached.

Targeted health care workers and consumers should be engaged in one or more of the following:

• Working with members of special populations who seek health information;
• Practicing in medically underserved inner city or rural areas; and/or

In addition, Health Information Outreach Subcontracts are offered to:

• Identify areas or populations that are in need of better health information services.
• Provide access to health information resources to health workers and consumers lacking convenient access to quality information resources.
• Increase the awareness and use of National Library of Medicine health information resources.
• Expand the Network’s health information delivery to include the public health work force.
• Strengthen the Network by developing the role of librarians as health information mediators.

Proposals will be accepted from Full or Affiliate members of the NN/LM NER. Partnerships with affiliate members, public health agencies, state, county and /or local public health agencies and community-based groups are strongly encouraged. Information about Network membership is available on the NN/LM Web site at our Membership page . Proposals are also encouraged from community-based agencies and organizations working with providers and patients or other agencies seeking to conduct a health information project. Proposals from these agencies should seek a NN/LM Network member a partner/collaborator. Proposed projects will be reviewed and approved by NER, the corresponding RAC Community of Interest, and NLM. NLM will have final approval of all subcontracts. All funding will address outreach initiatives related to NER’s Focus Areas: Proposals must provide a justification for funding based on the project addressing issues related to NER Focus Areas.

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NN/LM New England Region Knowledge Management Pilot Project Funding

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine--New England Region (NN/LM NER) announces the availability of funding Knowledge Management Pilot Projects. For more information and to be a pilot project, please download this complete Request for Proposals.

• $12,500 is available to fund one or more projects
• Proposals are due February 10, 2012.
• Approved projects will be contacted on or before February 24, 2012.
• Funded projects can begin their performance period May 1, 2012. Performance Period should not exceed 12 months.

The primary purpose is to stimulate innovations in biomedical knowledge management and information services at the health care institution or health system level. Pilot sites will develop Knowledge Management practices tailored to their institutional needs. Knowledge Management Pilot Sites are a component of a larger strategic plan to transform traditional hospital libraries into knowledge centers focusing on knowledge management practices within the New England Region. A Healthcare Knowledge Services Center Field Guide has been developed to assist information professionals in transitioning from traditional library services into a healthcare knowledge services center. Proposed projects should reference the Field Guide in planning and/or implementing knowledge management services. The Field Guide is available at: http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/ner/15/.

KM-based projects may entail product development or the testing of tailored databases, taxonomies, and other information utilities applied to organizing locally derived information. All proposed projects are expected to reference the HKSC Field Guide in planning and/or implementing knowledge management services. For example, proposals should allude to the satisfactory conduct of the “Institutional Audit”, as outlined in Module A of the Field Guide. Also, it is expected that proposals provide a justification for funding based on the concepts found in localized information management, complementing existing institutional infrastructure.

Proposals will be accepted from Full members of the NN/LM NER. Collaborative development of information services across multiple hospital settings will be accepted. Proposals should include letters of support from the members’ appropriate administrative lead. Members must contact NN/LM NER to inform the office of intent to apply for funding. Contact Mary Piorun or Mark Goldstein by December 28, 2011.

Funded projects will be approved internally by NER and the Hospital Library Advisory Group and will be funded as awards. Proposals must provide a justification for funding based on concepts in localized information management.

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Please contact Mary Piorun at mary.piorun@umassmed.edu for additional information about funding opportunities.

Please refer to NER Funded Outreach Subcontracts and Awards for a list of funded projects.

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Important Information

Funding decisions are based on need, amount to be funded, and availability of funds. In addition to the requirements listed in each Call for Participation, the following requirements may also apply. Progress reports: progress reports should be submitted every two months. Reports should address progress towards meeting objectives and an ongoing evaluation or assessment of the project’s effectiveness. Activities held in support of project objectives will be entered and submitted to the Outreach Application and Online Contract Reports System at: https://outreach.nlm.nih.gov. Users of the System must first create an account before reports can be submitted. Contact your RML for additional information on the Online Contract Reports System. Vendor quotes must be provided for equipment purchases whose total value is over $3,000. NLM must approve equipment purchases; property will vest with NN/LM—NER. Equipment purchased through NN/LM—NER funding should not be used for personal purposes, see http://nnlm.gov/ner/funding/rfps/Personal_Appeal_Items-AN.pdf for further details. Material produced in relation to the project should attribute the National Library of Medicine as funding source. Suggested text: Funded under contract HHS-N-276-2011-00010C with the University of Massachusetts Medical School and awarded by the DHHS, NIH, National Library of Medicine. Applicants developing training materials should consult with materials available in the NN/LM National Training Center (http://nnlm.gov/ntcc). Training materials developed as part of the project should be registered in the Clearinghouse. Applicants are expected to implement policies and procedures that support appropriate delivery of services to culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Applicants can consult National Center for Cultural Competence and its resources at http://gucchd.georgetown.edu//nccc/links.html. Web-based resources developed for the project should strive to ensure accessibility to the greatest possible number of people by adhering to standards described in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/web/documentation/accessibility.html) Recipients of NN/LM funding should publish results from NN/LM funded projects according to the NIH Public Access Policy in journals that make their contents freely available on the Web (http://publicaccess.nih.gov/). Applicants developing training materials should consult with materials available in the Medical Library Association Educational Clearinghouse (http://cech.mlanet.org). Funds requested to develop print collections of consumer health materials or to purchase access to any commercial electronic health information product may not exceed 5% of the total amount of the project budget. Also food is not an allowable expense.