Purpose
The Arts and Humanities Junior Faculty Endowment Fund assists Ohio University to recruit and retain the best candidates to fill faculty positions in the arts and humanities by allowing for the purchase of critical, highly specialized, and/or expensive library resources needed for the research of tenure-track faculty during their early years of employment. All resources purchased with endowment income become property of the Library and are added to the collection and made available to the Ohio University community. This endowment was established with substantial funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Selection Criteria
All selections will support the Libraries’ commitment to deliver information and scholarship tailored to the research needs of Ohio University faculty. Additionally, selections will meet the following criteria:
- Fall within the disciplines of the arts and humanities, broadly defined
- Be critical to the faculty’s research and either highly specialized and/or incur costs beyond the means of the annual acquisitions allocation
Resources that would normally be purchased using annual acquisitions allocation will be referred to the appropriate subject librarian.
Guidelines for Proposal
Proposals may be submitted by any tenure track faculty member within the first few years of their hire. Prior to submitting discuss the proposal with:
- your school/department to obtain the support of your school/department,
- your subject librarian liaison and/or special collections librarian to determine if the endowment is the best source of funding, and
- the Assistant Dean for Collections and Digitization Strategies to confirm availability and pricing or secure a quote.
Complete the proposal form to submit your proposal to Janet Hulm , Assistant Dean for Collections and Digitization Strategies. The following elements should be included:
- A brief description of the materials to be purchased
- A cost estimate or an attached quote from the Assistant Dean for Collections and Digital Initiatives
- A brief discussion of:
- Significance of the materials to the faculty member’s specific research interest and how their research fits within the context of the school/department/college research activities as a whole
- If the materials are available through OhioLINK or from the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and an explanation of why Ohio University requires the material if held by either
- If applicable, a statement indicating the intention of the proposer to match Endowment monies with other funding sources
Timetable
The Assistant Dean for Collections and Digitization Strategies will call for proposals once a year, unless funds are deemed lower than desirable by the University Library Committee . Requests with special purchase opportunities that cannot adhere to the timetable may be submitted at will.
- Deadline for submission of proposals: March 18, 2024
- Announcement of awards: July 1, 2024
Selection Procedure
The University Library Committee (ULC) will consider all requests and will rank their recommendations for the Dean of the Libraries’ consideration. The ULC is a standing University committee and consists of appointed faculty members representing a variety of disciplines, students, and administrative and classified staff.
For any proposals, which cannot adhere to the timetable and meet the selection criteria, the Dean of the Libraries will call a special meeting for consideration by ULC.
Upon receiving ULC’s recommendations, the Dean of the Libraries will make final selections based on the recommendations and available funding. In all cases, applicants will be notified of the results in writing by the Assistant Dean of Collections and Digitization Strategies and a public announcement will follow.
Contact
For additional information on the Endowment Fund or submission of proposals, contact: Janet Hulm , Assistant Dean for Collections and Digitization Strategies, (740) 597-1968, hulm@ohio.edu .