Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian (LB21) projects build a library and archival workforce that can meet the information needs of communities and increase the institutional capacity of libraries, archives, and library and information science graduate programs across the country.
The program supports projects that:
• provide training and professional development to library and archives professionals;
• develop faculty and information leaders; and
• recruit, educate, and retain the next generation of library and archives professionals.

Projects can support the recruitment, education, training, and retention of pre-professionals, students, faculty, and the current library and archives workforce to meet the needs of their communities.

Community-Centered Implementation projects support the recruitment, education, training, and retention of current and future faculty or library and archives professionals by adapting existing models (practices, findings, tools, and/or partnerships) to a specific organizational context.

• PIs must identify and align their proposed work with an established model (standard, practice, toolkit, open-source
  software, or research finding). 
• The project should demonstrate how it is using or adapting what the PI has identified. 
• The project should share resources and lessons learned that can be used by library and archival professionals in other
  communities throughout the nation.

Projects must begin on September 1, 2026 and can run until August 31, 2029. Project activities may be carried out for one to three years, based on the selected project type. 

Deadlines:

• Internal concept paper: 02/13/2026, 11:59 pm
• Full proposal due: March 13, 2026

Link to FOA Here

PI Eligibility: Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as a Principal Investigator (PI) are invited to work with their organizations to develop an application. Individuals from underrepresented groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply.  

Institutional Limit: UD may submit only one Community-Centered Implementation application to this funding opportunity. [Note: There are no limits on the number of Planning, Forum, National Implementation, and Applied Research projects an institution can submit.] 

Application Information: Interested applicants must submit a CV for the lead PI and a summary of their proposed project (< 2 pages). Applications not adhering to this requirement will be returned without review.