SLA Board of Directors Announces Recipients of 2007 SLA Research Grants
International Growth and Embedded Librarianship Focus of Proposals

Alexandria, Virginia, 7 March, 2008 - The Special Libraries Association (SLA), a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners, announced that its Board of Directors recently awarded two SLA Research Grants chosen from proposals collected during 2007. SLA offers grants for research projects for the advancement of evidence-based practice within library and information science and projects that directly benefit the operations of SLA, its chapters, divisions or committees, and support the association's expanding global agenda. The investment made by SLA in these projects will yield direct benefits to the association and, the results will be shared with the membership at their completion.

2007 SLA Research Grants were awarded to the following proposals:

"Impulse for Growth!" Laying Foundations for SLA Membership Acquisition and Growth in Germany for 2008.
This proposal, submitted by Michael Fanning, Online Consultants International GmbH in Karlsruhe, Germany, aims to gather and engage a critical mass of individuals who would be possible SLA members. Fanning will gather the contacts, document a proven methodology of acquiring them, and provide the opportunity to bring together information professionals in Germany in a single focused action. The project seeks to lay the foundation for further networking activities as well as membership growth in that country. Fanning will receive US$10,000 to complete this project.

Models of Embedded Librarianship.
The proposal was submitted by David Shumaker of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C, and Mary Talley of Axelroth & Associates in Silver Spring, Maryland. The goal of the study is to develop an evidence-based model for the successful initiation, implementation, and evaluation of embedded library services. Shumaker and Talley will use the grant of US$ 25,000 to collect data about the practices followed by model programs in initiating, operating, and evaluating their services; and synthesize an evidence-based set of recommended practices to be applied to all sectors.

These are the first awards being granted by the newly constituted SLA Research & Development Committee from the enlarged SLA Research Grant fund, which combines the SLA Endowment Fund, the SLA Research Fund, and the Steven I Goldspiel Memorial Fund.

SLA supports two types of proposals:

1) Research projects focused on the needs and concerns of information professionals in special libraries and related venues, with its current focus being on evidence-based practice, as in the SLA Research Statement, "Putting Our Knowledge to Work" (www.sla.org/researchstatement). Awards may be granted up to US$ 25,000.

2) Projects that directly benefit the operations of SLA and its units by furthering the scientific, literary, and educational purpose for which the association is organized and operated. Awards may be granted up to US$ 10,000.

For more information about grant opportunities through SLA, visit the Grants and Scholarships section the SLA Web site at: http://www.sla.org/content/learn/scholarship/researchgrant/index.cfm.

About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.