Call for Proposals From Program Evaluator(s)
Recordings at Risk

CLIR seeks proposals from research and assessment professionals or small teams with experience in conducting evaluations in the nonprofit or higher-education sectors to conduct a retrospective study of the Recordings at Risk regranting program, in order to inform future initiatives that empower collecting organizations to preserve and manage audio and audiovisual materials.

The selected evaluator or team will: 

• Critique the program’s history of award-making and current implementation, looking at its language and guidelines and their interpretation, applicant-support services, and reviewer-engagement practices;
• Identify gaps in services and unmet needs affecting the capacity of collecting organizations to undertake successful audio and audiovisual reformatting projects; and
• Develop recommendations for potential future projects and programs, particularly those that would increase capacity to manage audio and audiovisual materials in contexts without sufficient resources or significant experience in grant-seeking.

The evaluator or evaluation team will begin work in summer 2023 and continue on a part-time basis for two years. The selected evaluator or team will be awarded a contract from CLIR, with a maximum payable amount of $80,000 plus directly related expenses.

The program evaluation will employ a number of qualitative research activities including, but not necessarily limited to:

• A review of relevant scholarly and professional literature;
• Review and critical analysis of program documentation;
• Survey design and analysis;
• Observations at program strategy or review meetings; and
• Semi-structured interviews with program stakeholders (applicants, recipients, reviewers, etc.).

 

The major deliverable of this project will be a public report summarizing findings and recommendations for CLIR and other funders for projects and programs that would build capacity for managing time-based media collections at smaller and under-resourced organizations. The researcher(s) will present a draft report to a panel of program stakeholders, responding to the panelists’ feedback and recommendations for revisions in the final document. The report will be published in 2025. Periodic internal interim reports designed to inform decision-making about the ongoing program will also be required.

Valued qualifications:

• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated experience with survey design and analysis;
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative data collection and analysis, in particular analysis of transcripts of online interviews;
• Demonstrated experience conducting analyses of project budgets;
• Demonstrated ability to work on research projects with limited day-to-day supervision;
• Demonstrated experience conducting programmatic assessments; and
• Familiarity with collections-management work at nonprofit, cultural, and academic institutions.

Familiarity with audio and audiovisual media, audio and audiovisual digital reformatting, and digital preservation is especially welcome, although not essential.

Interested professionals should contact Christa Williford, senior director of research and assessment, at cwilliford@clir.org, for further details and instructions on preparing a proposal for consideration. Review of proposals will begin on June 5, 2023, and continue until a researcher or team is selected.

CLIR welcomes candidates who can bring diverse professional and life experiences to the project, including those from underrepresented racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds, immigrants, veterans, people with disabilities, and those with any sexual orientation or gender identity. 

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning. To learn more, visit www.clir.org and follow CLIR on Facebook and Twitter.

About Recordings at Risk

Recordings at Risk is a national regranting program that supports the preservation of rare and unique audio and audiovisual content with the potential to benefit research, learning, journalism, creative arts, and community engagement through public programming at nonprofit collecting organizations within the United States or in U.S. territories. It is designed to lessen barriers to entry that can exclude organizations with relatively limited capacity for grant writing, technical planning, and grant management. The program also aims to help organizations identify priorities and develop practical strategies for digital reformatting, build relationships with partners, and raise awareness of best practices for caring for audiovisual content and making it accessible in ways that are legal, ethical, and culturally appropriate.