The Library of Michigan and MCLS are pleased to announce a continuation of their partnership with The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. There now will be a  third opportunity for Michigan library staff to participate in The Harwood Institute training. This opportunity will include a full 2.5 day Public Innovators Lab, followed by 18 months of coaching.

The training will be led by Certified Harwood Coaches from the Institute. It will be robust, extensive, and is being offered at no charge to selected Michigan libraries, with generous stipends provided through Library of Michigan LSTA funding.

The program

On November 7–9, 2017, a cohort of up to 50 Michigan library staff will convene in Lansing, Michigan for a 2.5 day Public Innovators Lab led by two Certified Harwood Coaches. That training will be followed up by 18 months of coaching calls from The Harwood Institute, and guidance and support from Harwood-trained Library of Michigan and MCLS staff.

The Harwood Public Innovators Lab is a 2.5 day experience to help you and your organization learn what it means to Turn Outward — to use the community, not your conference room, as your reference point for choices and action.

Although free of charge to participate, this program will be rigorous. With support and guidance from MCLS and the Library of Michigan, cohort members are expected to attend coaching calls, contribute to an online forum, and demonstrate how their efforts are making a change in their communities. Only those who can commit the time and energy are encouraged to participate.

The Library of Michigan and MCLS have been using the tools of The Harwood Institute and sharing them with libraries since 2013. We are excited to be able to support training for another cohort of Michigan library staff.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be an employee or trustee of a Michigan library.
• Applicants may be from any type of library: academic, public, school, institutional, or special.
• A maximum of 5 persons per library will be awarded scholarships. Because of limited availability, not all slots within an application may be filled.
• Libraries are encouraged to include 2-5 persons in the application to attend the Public Innovators Lab and complete the follow-up training. Applications are strongly encouraged to include the Director and senior staff, in addition to other staff. These will receive stronger consideration.
• Collaborative applications with two or more individuals from different libraries in geographic proximity are welcomed, and will receive the same ranking as two or more individuals from the same library. Libraries that have already sent staff to Harwood Institute training and are looking for additional training would also have equal consideration.

The award

• Those awarded this opportunity will receive free tuition for the training and follow-up support.
• Those awarded will receive stipends for three nights hotel lodging (strongly encouraged) and travel expenses. The stipends will be on a sliding scale depending on the distance of travel from Lansing, MI:
  • Zone 1 (Less than 100 miles from Lansing, MI) the library will receive $620 for a single person, and $490 for each additional individual. It is strongly encouraged to carpool to conserve resources.
  • Zone 2 (100-250 miles from Lansing, MI) the library will receive $770 for a single person, and $490 for each additional individual. It is strongly encouraged to carpool to conserve resources.
  • Zone 3 (More than 250 miles from Lansing, MI) the library will receive $1020 for a single person, and $490 for each additional individual. It is strongly encouraged to carpool to conserve resources.
  • In the event of a collaborative submission, please note in the application which library/participant is responsible for transportation. A space is included in the application for this.

Meals and lodging are included. Dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 7 and 8, will be dine-arounds and factored into the stipend. Lodging and the Public Innovators Lab will take place at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lansing, MI. A link to register for the hotel will be available on our Harwood Cohort page when the selected libraries are announced.

There will be a pre-Lab dinner held at the Radisson Hotel on Monday evening, November 6, 2017.

Timetable – Deadlines

• Applications must be submitted by 5pm Eastern (4pm Central) on August 31, 2017.
• Notification to recipients will be on or before September 13, 2017. Checks (payable to the library) will soon follow.
• Recipients will need to make their own hotel reservations. It is encouraged to make the reservations as soon as possible after notification. A link to register for the hotel will be available at mcls.org/harwood2017 at the time of notification.

The application

• Download the Michigan Harwood Cohort application.
• Applications should be emailed to David Votta, Community Engagement Librarian, at vottad@mcls.org.

Questions

Questions should be sent to David Votta, MCLS Community Engagement Librarian, at vottad@mcls.org or call David at 800-530-9019 ext. 122

Learn more about our work with The Harwood Institute.

This project is supported by the Library of Michigan with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.