The mission is to support library professionals in California by providing them with a practice-based professional development experience. This program is designed to foster more inclusive communities by offering welcoming experiences for immigrants.
The grant program focuses on empowering library professionals with a nine-month professional development experience, coupled with a cash grant of up to $5,000 for up to ten participants annually. It encourages the creation of welcoming experiences for immigrants and aims to cultivate more inclusive communities across California. Participants, termed “innovators,” engage in researching, designing, implementing, and assessing public humanities projects at their libraries. The program emphasizes collaborative learning, virtual group meetings, and individual advising to enhance skills in programming, project management, and working with immigrants and other target audiences. It encourages creativity and experimentation with new programming approaches.