CLRC’s Access & Digitization Grant assists member libraries, institutions, and organizations in making their collections and materials, newspapers, and finding aids accessible and freely available to the public.  This grant supports projects involving digitization, metadata creation, finding aid creation, and enhancing existing metadata and finding aids.  Collections and materials can be made available on New York Heritage Digital Collections, newspapers on New York State Historic Newspapers, finding aids on the Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative, and all can be available on a member’s own repository and multiple repositories.

The Access & Digitization Grant is offered once a year.  It is awarded through a competitive application process.  Applications are reviewed by our Library Resources & Services Committee and an external review committee, then approved by our Board of Trustees.  Applicants will be notified in April.

Application and Guidelines

Members must fill out and submit a Pre-Application, which has the same questions as the Full Application. Use the Grant Application Worksheet word document to see the questions and save your answers, as the Pre- and Full Application will not save your answers if you close the Google form. Applicants can also wait to submit the Pre-Application until after the Informational Webinar on Wednesday, October 22, with the recording made available to watch afterwards.

The Pre-Application is due Wednesday, November 12. Please provide Budget information or estimates as best you can so CLRC staff can review your Pre-Application and give good feedback. Also, if it is known that no one can do the metadata, please state in your application that you want CLRC staff to do it. Once submitted, the Pre-Application will be reviewed by CLRC staff. CLRC staff will then contact the person listed on the Pre-Application to let them know if information needs to be added or edited, or the application is good and they can fill out the Full Application. In addition to feedback, if the applicant wants a DigLab quote, they can request it in an email to Ashley Beavers or within the Pre-Application and receive it along with the feedback.

A DigLab quote comes from our in-house Digitization Lab (DigLab). We assist members with their projects using our in-house digitization equipment and handle all aspects of the project, from digitizing and creating metadata to uploading to NY Heritage or NYS Historic Newspapers, and provide members with access to their digitized files. Check out our Digitization Lab page to see what materials and formats we can handle in-house.

Once you have received feedback on your Pre-Application and a DigLab quote, this is when you will seek out an outside vendor quote, if it applies to your project. If you have a DigLab quote, we still require you to obtain an outside vendor quote as backup to ensure applications have a chance of being funded. When you have a vendor quote, please send it to Ashley Beavers. In addition, depending on the project, copyright permission may be required. If it’s a newspaper project and there are years still under copyright and you’re in contact with the copyright owner, use this Copyright Permission Form and send it to Ashley Beavers.

Until Friday, January 16, you can request a consultation or one-on-one with Ashley Beavers to discuss your project or seek assistance.

The Full Application is due Saturday, January 31, 2026. Answers from the Pre-Application, if no changes are needed, can be copied over. Please revise any answers according to the feedback you received. Make sure the Budget information is filled out, vendor quotes and copyright permissions (if applicable) are emailed to abeavers@clrc.org. Then submit the Full Application.

Grant recipients will be announced in April 2026. Grant recipients are required to fill out an Interim Report and a Final Report. The Interim Report is to let CLRC staff know where you are in the project and if you need any help. June 2027 is when Final Reports are due and are required. Recipients may be asked to present on their project at CLRC’s Annual Conference, held each October. Any awarded funds must be spent by June 30th; if there is money left, you do not need to return it.

Eligibility

To be eligible, an institution or organization must be a CLRC member, be at the Affiliate or Full level, and be in good standing.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please see our Membership page for our levels.  If you are uncertain if you are a member, please see our Member Directory.  For libraries that are under a public or school system, they are members by extension.  Also, the libraries under either system do not need their system to apply on their behalf.  Any member can submit more than one application.

2026-2027 Grant Timeline

  • Friday, October 3, 2025: Open for Pre-Applications
  • Wednesday, October 22, 2025: Informational Webinar (registration)
  • Wednesday, November 12, 2025: Pre-Application Deadline due
  • November to January 2026: Time to seek an outside vendor quote and receive feedback
  • Friday, January 16, 2026: Deadline for requesting a direct consultation
  • Saturday, January 31, 2026: Full Application submission deadline
  • Mid-late February 2026: LRS Committee and external reviewers will review the applications
  • March 2026: Board of Trustees will review the recommendations of the committees
  • April 2026: Grant recipients announced
  • January 2027: Interim Reports due
  • June 2027: Final Reports due

2025-2026 Grant Timeline

  • January 31, 2026: Interim Reports due
  • June 30, 2026: Final Reports due

Grant Resources

Questions

Questions?

Contact Ashley Beavers (abeavers@clrc.org)

or look at Questions and Answers below

Questions & Answers

About the Application

Q: How is the Pre-Application different from the full application?

The Pre-Application doesn’t require budget information, vendor quotes, or copyright permission to be submitted.  But those are required for the full application.

Q: What do I need to submit for the full application?

DigLab quote, an outside vendor quote, and copyright permission (if applicable to the project).

Q: Do I need to submit a Pre-Application?  Can’t I just submit the full application?

Yes, you need to submit a Pre-Application before you can submit the full application.  If you just submit a full application, you will not be considered.  The Pre-Application provides feedback and a DigLab quote (you can also fill it out here).  If your project doesn’t require a DigLab quote, you may still receive feedback on your application.

Questions In The Application

Q: What are unsupported expenses?

We don’t cover or fund:

rent, heat, or electricity
direct payments to libraries for interlibrary loan – there are other programs for interlibrary loan
the hours an employee would already be working, we do not subsidize existing salaries
operations of the library or replace current staff salaries
projects that don’t meet copyright requirements
retrospective conversion of library materials or continuation of library programs currently in place

We do not purchase

new materials (you need to already possess the materials)
an Integrated Library System for individual libraries (we don’t fund the creation of a repository)

Q: What is the maximum amount that I can ask for?

The maximum amount that we allow for an individual grant is $10,000.

Q: What is an hourly rate for someone to do metadata?

An hourly rate, at minimum, is $18 an hour.  A maximum hourly rate can be $20 an hour.

Q: What information have some applicants forgotten to include in their application?

Some applications have been missing who will create the metadata after the materials have been digitized.  The question, Describe the specific activities that will be a part of this project…, is where you can list the individual(s) who will be creating the metadata.  Whoever will be creating the metadata will be trained by Ashley Beavers, Digital Projects and Preservation Librarian, so when you are ready to create the metadata please email Ashley at abeavers@clrc.org, so she can provide the spreadsheet and training.

DigLab and Digitization

Q: Can this [material/audio/audio-visual type] be digitized?

Please reach out to Ashley Beavers (abeavers@clrc.org) and depending on what the material/item is we can get equipment for the DigLab or refer to a vendor.

Q: What formats and or materials can you digitize in the DigLab?

We can digitize photographs, photograph slides, photograph negatives, glass plate negatives of various sizes, yearbooks, catalogs, physical newspapers (microfilm is handled by NNYLN and they can provide you a quote at digitization@nnyln.org), scrapbooks, registers, and oversized bound and unbound.

Q: What about born-digital items?

We can create metadata for TIFF, JPEG/JPG, PDF, audio files, and video files.  Audio and video files might be copied in order to convert to a different file type in order to upload.

Q: Can I come in and digitize my collection for NY Heritage?

Schedule with Ashley Beavers (abeavers@clrc.org).

Other

Q: If I’m unable to finish my project within the amount of time for this grant, what can I do?

If you find that your project is taking more time than planned, you can apply the next year.  It will be a continuation.

Q: Does my digitized materials/collection have to be only on NY Heritage or NYS Historic Newspapers?

No, if you have your own repository then you can upload your digitized collection there as well (if I haven’t given you access to your project’s Google Shared Drive folder, please remind me).  We are open to having materials/collections on more than one repository, however, it cannot be behind a paywall or just the images that have been uploaded – there needs to be metadata with it and be searchable.  If you have materials that may not fit with NY Heritage or NYS Historic Newspapers, it doesn’t mean they’re not eligible for the grant – reach out to me so we can discuss.

Q: If I’ve applied for a Catalyst Grant, can I still apply for an Access & Digitization Grant?

Yes, you can apply for both.

Previous Grant Recipients

2025 Awards

Baldwinsville Public Library: $5,050 to digitize 25 microfilm reels of Baldwinsville Messenger from 2006 to 2015 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Erwin Library and Institute: $3,260 to digitize 521 historic photographs of Boonville and surrounding areas and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage.

Manlius Library: $2,727 to digitize 14 yearbooks and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage.

Onondaga County Public Library: $8,254 to digitize as many issues of Syracuse New Times newspaper from 1985 to 2007, and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Oneida Community Mansion House: $4,550 to digitize 33 16mm film reels from the mid-20th century documenting life at Oneida Ltd. and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage, YouTube, and Oneida Community Mansion House exhibit app.

Oneida Community Mansion House: $1,420 to digitize 47 issues of Oneida Silversmith newsletter from the early 1970s to early 1980s and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage and Oneida Community Mansion House exhibit app.

Sauquoit Valley Central High School Library: $3,000 to digitize 64 yearbooks and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: $5,000 to continue digitizing 1,000 more photographs of natural landscapes, wildlife, structures, buildings, bridges, and water features in New York and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage.

SUNY Morrisville: $5,820 to digitize 108 yearbooks and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute: $5,990 to digitize 30 microfilm reels of Utica Daily Press from 1914 to 1920, and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Town of Elbridge Archives: $1,634 to digitize 8 microfilm rolls of Jordan Leader, Elbridge Courier, Camillus Advocate newspapers from 1920 to 1989, and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Utica University Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library: $4,814 to digitize 66 yearbooks and create metadata, and make them available on NY Heritage.

2024 Awards

4 Elements Studio: $5,000 to continue digitizing historic and contemporary artwork by older local artists and make them available on NY Heritage.

Baldwinsville Public Library: $2,376 to digitize microfilm reels of Baldwinsville Messenger from 1988-2008 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Center for Historical Research at Utica University: $1,950 to finish digitizing and creating metadata for several collections and making them available on NY Heritage.

Everson Museum of Art: $3,065 to digitize museum bulletins from 1911-1990s and make them available on NY Heritage.

Fabius Historical Society: $1,600 to digitize Irving Skeele’s Diaries from 1893-1946 and make them available on NY Heritage.

Oneida County History Center: $3,876 to digitize and create metadata on materials related to Indigenous people’s history and expand on existing collections, and make them available on NY Heritage.

Onondaga Historical Association: $7,000 to digitize 16mm newsreel films of happenings and events in the Syracuse area during the mid-1960s and make them available on NY Heritage.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute: $7,920 to digitize microfilm reels of Utica Daily Press from 1904-1914 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Syracuse University Libraries: $5,000 to continue transcribing the remaining two Oakwood Cemetery Registers and make them available on NY Heritage.

Town of Elbridge Public Historian & Archives: $2,546 to digitize Jordan businesses ledgers from 1839-1979 and make them available on NY Heritage, the Town of Elbridge Archives repository, and the Jordan Historical Society website.

Town of Elbridge Public Historian & Archives: $816 to digitize four volumes of Village of Jordan Board of Trustees minutes from 1881-1941 and make them available on NY Heritage.

Town of Elbridge Public Historian & Archives: $769 to digitize the minutes and records of the women’s Study Club organization and make them available on NY Heritage.

Tully Area Historical Society: $582 to take digitized microfilm of the Tully Times from 1855-1945 and The Tully Independent from 1946-1978 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Waterville Historical Society: $7,500 to digitize microfilm reels of Waterville Times from 1855-2023 and make them available on their website and on NYS Historic Newspapers.

2023 Awards

Erwin Library and Institute: $5,000 to digitize microfilm reels of the Boonville Herald from 1884-2020 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute: $6,413 to digitize microfilm reels of Utica Daily Press from 1882-1904 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Baldwinsville Public Library: $4,000 to digitize microfilm reels of Baldwinsville Messenger from 1993-1999 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Town of Elbridge Archives: $410 to Digitize two rolls of microfilm containing local newspapers from 1854-1919 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers.

Oneida Community Mansion House: $2,000 to digitize The Quadrangle, an Oneida Community, Limited publication dating from 1908-1914, and make them available on NY Heritage.

Onondaga Historical Association: $7,000 to digitize 16mm film footage of pre-urban renewal Syracuse and Onondaga County and make them available on NY Heritage.

Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities: $5,033 to digitize 56 yearbooks from the Convent School/The Franciscan Academy College (1922-1987) and 25 yearbooks from Maria Regina College (1965-1988), and make them available on NY Heritage.

2022 Awards

SUNY Polytechnic Institute: $9,313 to digitize Utica Observer newspaper issues from August 27, 1914 – December 29, 1925 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers

Baldwinsville Public Library: $8,600 to digitize Baldwinsville Messenger newspaper issues from 1958 – 1992 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers

Erwin Library and Institute: $3,660 to digitize 7 hotel registers from the Hulbert House which contain the signatures of historic figures and make them available on NY Heritage

Liverpool Central School District Libraries: $6,525 to create a union catalog for the district, in preparation for a reconfiguration of buildings by grade level.

Town of Pompey Historical Society: $1,080 to digitize 60 additional paintings by John Calvin Perry and $512 to digitize 41 additional glass plate negatives by Pompey residents Gary Lyon and Roy Clapp, both to be available on NY Heritage

Manlius Library: $1,140 to digitize 11 additional Fayetteville-Manlius high school yearbooks and make them available on NY Heritage

Kirkland Town Library: $420 to digitize 10 library scrapbooks and make them available in NY Heritage

Hamilton Public Library: $7,500 to digitize paper copies of MidYork Weekly newspapers from 1947 – 1954 and make them available on NYS Historic Newspapers

4 Elements Studio: $5,000 to digitize artwork by local artists (John Loy, Sylvia de Swaan, and Laurence Pacilio) and make them available on NY Heritage

Skaneateles Historical Society: $2,660 to digitize Skaneateles Central School Districts yearbooks from 1938 – 2021 and make them available on NY Heritage

Syracuse University Libraries: $4,000 to continue transcription by SU students of Oakwood Cemetery Registers and make them available on NY Heritage

Everson Museum of Art: $3,160 to digitize exhibition catalogs, books, and brochures ranging from 1965 to 2010 and make them available on NY Heritage

Onondaga Historical Association: $10,000 to digitize a selection of news and film reels containing WSTM-TV and WTVH-TV broadcasts from 1965 – 1978 and make them available on NY Heritage

New Woodstock Free Library: $150 to create metadata for up to 40 pieces of digitized artwork by New Woodstock artist Mary Padgett and make them available on NY Heritage

LaFayette Public Library: $1,720 to digitize 11 LaFayette High School Yearbooks from 2002 – 2022 and make them available on NY Heritage

Russian History Museum: $6,404 to migrate approximately 1,200 artifact records to a new, cloud-based collections management system that will provide public access to the museum’s collections

2021 Awards

Canastota Public Library: $2,500 to digitize Canastota Bee Journal newspapers, from 1888-1909.

New Woodstock Free Library: $450 to digitize 30 works of art by Jim Ridlon, a former professor from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University.

Hamilton Public Library: $1,760 to digitize remaining Hamilton High School yearbooks, from 1919 to the present.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute: $8,600 to digitize Utica Observer newspapers, from 1894 – 1918.

Colgate University Libraries: $480 to digitize the papers of Alma Gracey Stokey, a noted botanist.

Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville: $7,600 to finish digitizing Suburban Life newspapers, from 1975-1978 and 1985-1989.

Town of Pompey Historical Society: $350 to digitize 40 glass plate negatives, by local residents by Gary Lyon and Roy Clapp, circa 1910-1930.

Baldwinsville Public Library: $8,600 to digitize Baldwinsville Gazette, Farmers’ Journal, and Messenger newspapers, ranging from 1846-1965.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: $5,000 to digitize 1,000 images from the Roosevelt Wild Life Station collection.

Manlius Library: $1,380 to digitize remaining Fayetteville-Manlius yearbooks.

Onondaga Community College Library: $1,452 to digitize five music score titles from the donated collection of a local composer.

Oneida Community Mansion House: $4,500 to create metadata for 1,500 photographs of Oneida Community members, workers, and properties, from 1848-1900.

Syracuse University Libraries: $1,000 to create metadata for 200 objects from the collection of La Casita Cultural Center;  $5,000 to digitize and transcribe Oakwood Cemetery burial registers, dating back to 1859.

Skaneateles Historical Society: $5,000 to create metadata for over 450 photographs of local residents and locations.