[Federal Register: April 26, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 82)] [Notices] [Page 18580] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 18580]] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA Nos. 84.036A and B] Office of Educational Research and Improvement--Library Education and Human Resource Development Program (Higher Education Act, Title II- B, Institutes and Fellowships); Notice Inviting Applications For New Awards for Fiscal Year 1996 Purpose of Program: Promotes high quality library and information science education and provides fellowship and institute grants to institutions of higher education and library organizations or agencies to recruit, educate, and train persons, and to establish, develop, or expand programs, through courses of study or staff development in library and information science. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, library organizations, and library agencies. For Fellowship Projects for FY 1996, only new Master's degree level applications will be accepted. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: 6/10/96. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: 8/9/96. Applications Available: 5/1/96. Estimated Available Funds: (a) Institute Projects (84.036A): $1,000,000. (b) Fellowship Projects (84.036B): $1,000,000. Note: Applicants should note that Congress has not yet enacted final appropriations for Department of Education programs for FY 1996. As a result of final action, funds available for this competition could be reduced or even eliminated. Estimated Range of Awards: (a) Institute Projects (84.036A): $15,000-150,000. (b) Fellowship Projects (84.036B): $22,000-170,000. Estimated Average Size of Awards: (a) Institute Projects (84.036A): $82,000. (b) Fellowship Projects (84.036B): $54,000. Estimated Number of Awards: (a) Institute Projects (84.036A): 12. (b) Fellowship Projects (84.036B): 19. Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. Project Periods: (a) Institute Grants. A long-term institute project must provide at least one academic year but no more than 12 months of training; a short-term institute project must provide at least one week but no more than six weeks of training. (b) Fellowship Grants. A new fellowship grant at the master's level must be at least one academic year. Applicable Regulations: (a) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR Part 776; and (b) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 85, and 86. Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and 34 CFR 776.5 the Secretary gives an absolute preference to applications that meet one or more of the following priorities. The Secretary funds under this competition only applications that meet one or more of these absolute priorities: Institute Projects and Fellowship Projects Absolute Priority 1: To recruit, educate, train, retrain and retain minorities in library and information sciences. Absolute Priority 2: To educate, train, or retrain library personnel in areas of library specialization where there are currently shortages, such as school media, children's services, young adult services, science reference, cataloging, and library service evaluation. Absolute Priority 3: To educate, train, or retrain library personnel in new techniques of information acquisition, transfer, and management of communication technology. Institute Projects Only Absolute Priority 4: To educate, train, or retrain library personnel to serve the information needs of the elderly, the illiterate, the disadvantaged, or residents of rural America, including Native Americans. For Applications or Information Contact: Neal Kaske, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Room 300, Washington, DC 20208-5571. Telephone (202) 219-1315. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday. For Electronic Access to Information: Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), telephone (202) 260- 9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at GOPHER.ED.GOV (under Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases) or the WWW server at http://www.ed.gov/ (under Money Matters, Funding Opportunities). However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant competition is the notice published in the Federal Register. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1021, 1032. Dated: April 23, 1996. Sharon P. Robinson, Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement. [FR Doc. 96-10392 Filed 4-25-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P