Do you work in a small and rural public library? Are you interested in learning about evaluation and data use for management, planning, and communicating the impact of your library? Five travel stipends for the Utah RIPL Regional in Salt Lake City, March 6-7, 2019, are available to staff working in small and rural public libraries in the United States. These stipends are funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
What is a RIPL (Research Institute for Public Libraries) Regional? It’s a scaled-down version of the national data boot camp – 2 days, 4 instructors, and up to 70 public library participants from Utah and beyond– that provides the training necessary to begin using data and evaluation to improve your library services and demonstrate impact.
The ideal candidate for this stipend is:
- Interested in getting started using data for savvy and strategic planning.
- Looking for both inspiration and instruction in a hands-on, participatory environment.
- Seeking to learn about outcomes and how to measure library impact.
- Committed to leading her/his organization in making data-based decisions.
- Eager to develop a peer network to support evaluation efforts.
To be eligible for a travel stipend, you must be:
- Employed by a U.S. public library that is located in a rural area AND serves a population of less than 25,000. These criteria are determined based on data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Libraries Survey. To determine whether your library meets these criteria, please click here.
- A first-time participant of RIPL – if you have already attended a national or regional RIPL event, you are not eligible for a stipend.
- Based outside of the Salt Lake City metro area (there is no registration fee for the event; the stipend covers travel expenses including lodging, meals, and transportation).
For more information and to apply, please see .Travel stipend applications are due by 8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific on Friday, January 11, 2019. Questions? Contact ripl@lrs.org.