The University of Michigan?s Institute for Social Research (utilizing three of its Centers ? the Research Center for Group Dynamics, the Survey Research Center, and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research), in partnership with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), and the Public Library Association (PLA), will build on a 2020 planning grant from IMLS to BCALA and undertake a comprehensive examination of Black History Month (BHM) programming in public libraries. The requested $750,000 for a three-year Applied Research grant will generate several innovative and first-of-its-kind knowledge products; a survey on BHM programming in public libraries based on a nationally representative sample, a model of BHM programming, a BHM Programming Index, a Knowledge of the Community (KofC) competency scale, and a BHM Programming Toolkit1.0 for staff at public libraries. We will answer two central research questions: What is the state of BHM programming in public libraries? What is the relationship between service area, library organizational, and individual factors in explaining BHM programming in public libraries?

?Lessons learned? from the IMLS-funded planning grant to the BCALA in terms of methodology and questionnaire development will be incorporated into the design of the proposed national study. This project also builds on the IMLS-funded National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA) conducted by the American Library Association, in which they identified nine Core Library Programming Competencies. We include two of those competencies (Knowledge of the Community and Interpersonal Skills). Another competency not included in the NILPPA has surfaced in the literature as very important to cultural programming. Therefore, Cultural Competency will be included as a third capability focus area. Focus Groups for the scale development and BHM Index items will occur in Y1. The Pilots to psychometrically develop the KofC scale, the draft of the BHM Toolkit, and the National Survey will take place in Y2. Analysis of the results, dissemination of the results, and data archiving activities will occur in Y3.

On the practical level, the information we gather and the analysis we conduct will have direct implications for public libraries. We will know what is and is not being done in BHM programming, understand more about the impediments and what is needed to overcome those obstacles, and understand quantitatively the role of three library programming competencies. Building on our planning grant, we will have a quasi-longitudinal assessment on key variables over five years. We expect to see an increase in BHM programming, knowledge of the national BHM theme, and more positive attitudes about BHM programming among public librarians over time, thus demonstrating the impact of our work. We will ensure that the benefits from this project last beyond the grant period because the dataset, metadata, and all documentation from the national study will be maintained and available to the public through a University of Michigan digital archive. The Toolkit and other outputs from the project will live on via the project website. These mechanisms will ensure the project deliverables will be readily available to libraries, other institutions, and communities nationally.