Printer Friendly VersionBURRUSS LOCAL HISTORY GRANTS
To see a list of grant recipients, some with links to their final reports, click here.
Two grants of up to $2,000 each may be awarded every year. Any aspect of history except strictly genealogical investigations will be considered, as will any project format, from oral histories to archival research papers to web-based presentations. Award winners must agree to abide by all University regulations concerning research methods. Please note that grant-funded research projects are considered "works for hire" for which the University owns copyright; however, permission to publish may be requested.
Proposals that meet the following criteria are welcome from any interested persons or organizations:
- The geographical area covered must lie within the four central Shenandoah Valley counties of Page, Shenandoah, Rockingham, and Augusta.
- There must be a tangible result of the project that can be added to Carrier Library for future research use. Oral histories must include legal releases, original interview tapes, and full transcripts. Research papers must include disk and printout of the final paper.
Proposals should be submitted to library-special@jmu.edu between September 1 and November 30. They will be reviewed by Library faculty and awards announced by January 15. Awards will be paid in quarterly amounts over the course of the grant, which may run through the end of the year in which it is awarded. The Library reserves the right to terminate awards if deadlines or standards are not met. Proposals should include the following components:
- The scope and purpose of the project.
- How the project will contribute to an understanding of Shenandoah Valley history.
- The timeline for the project.
- Identification of who will be responsible for insuring that all parts of the project are completed.
- A methodology that explains in detail how the project will be conducted. Oral history proposals should include the names of potential interviewees; archival research projects should include a list of repositories to be investigated; web-based projects should include a list of potential sources of illustrations.
- Budget that outlines projected expenses.
For budgetary purposes, some specific expenses are clarified below:
- One oral history is defined for grant purposes as one two-hour interview, with two additional hours of pre-interview preparation and ten hours of transcription (including revision and checking with interviewee), for a total of fourteen hours per interview. Grant awards are based on $12 per hour for a total of $168 per interview. Costs of tapes and other supplies should be included in the proposed budget, but recording and transcribing equipment may be borrowed from Carrier Library. Examples of oral histories may be found by searching Leo under the title, “James Madison University Sound Archives.”
- Travel expenses are calculated according to state guidelines.
Submit typed or electronic proposals to: Special Collections (library-special@jmu.edu), Carrier Library Special Collections, MSC 1704, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.
