Select Funded Research

GRANTS 

• Civic Engagement for Racial Justice in Public Libraries (RJ@PL). Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L)– FY 2022 Guidelines (Implementation – Project Type), August 2022 – July 2025 (University of Alabama and Chicago State University) [PI: B. Mehra. Co-PI: K. Black]. [LG-252354-OLS-22]. [August 2022 – July 2025]. Terminated April 8, 2025: President’s Executive Order 14238.

​IMLS Announcement: https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/lg-252354-ols-22. 
Project website: http://civicengagement4racialjustice.ua.edu.

• Training of Community-Embedded Social Justice Archivists” (SJ4A). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program – FY 2022 Guidelines (LB21) (Implementation – Project Type), August2022 – July 2025 (University of Alabama) [PI: B. Mehra. Co-PI: R. Riter]. [RE-252356-OLS-22]. [August 2022 – July 2025]. Terminated April 8, 2025: President’s Executive Order 14238.

IMLS Announcement: https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/re-252356-ols-22. 
Project website: http://socialjusticearchivists-sj4a.ua.edu/.

• Libraries Count: Co-Developing a Professional Learning Program to Build Capacity of Library Staff to Support Diverse Young Children and their Families in Math.Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program – FY 2022 Guidelines (LB21)(Research), August2022 – July 2025 (East Tennessee State University and University of Alabama) [PI: A. Lange. Co-PI: B. Mehra]. Terminated April 8, 2025: President’s Executive Order 14238.

IMLS Announcement: https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/re-252310-ols-22.
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• An Exploratory Assessment of the Role of Alabama’s Public Libraries to Address the Opioid Crisis ($6000), Office of Research and Economic Development Small Grant Program: Research Grants Committee, Office for Research and Economic Development, University of Alabama, January 2020 – December 2021.

• Assessment of Rural Library Professionals’ Role in Community Engagement in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region: Mobilization from Change Agents to Community Anchors (CA2CA@SCA-RL) ($48,708). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian– FY 2017 Guidelines (Community Anchors Project Category: Planning Grant), July 2017 – June 2019 (PI: B. Mehra. Co-PI: V. Singh). http://scholar.cci.utk.edu/ca2ca-sca-rl/. Subcontracted to the University of Alabama, January – June 2019.

• Small Business Community Information Exchange at the Blount County Public Library in East Tennessee ($1650), 2016-17 Community Engagement Incentive Grant, Office of Community Engagement and Outreach, University of Tennessee. (Submitted by: B. Mehra). 

• The Role of Rural Public Libraries in Small Business Economic Development in the Appalachian Region: A Case Study of Tennessee (PLSB-TN) ($49,557). Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Leadership Grants for Libraries – FY 2014 Guidelines (Research category), October 2014 – September 2016 (PI: B. Mehra. Co-PI: B. W. Bishop). http://scholar.cci.utk.edu/plsb-tn.

• Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (Part II) (ITRL2) ($478,258). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, October 2012 – September 2016. (PI: B. Mehra, Co-PI: V. Singh). http://www.sis.utk.edu/13-scholarships-available-itrl2.

• Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL) ($567,660). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, October 2009 – September 2013 (PI: B. Mehra; Co-PI: K. Black, V. Singh). http://www.sis.utk.edu/rural-librarianship.

• Health Information Services for People Living With HIV/AIDS: Perspectives of Public Library Information Professionals ($2000). Dean’s Summer Research Grant, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee, Summer 2008 (PI: B. Mehra).

• Human Information Behavior Concepts from a Perspective of ICT Professionals in India ($2000). Dean’s Summer Research Grant, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee, Summer 2007 (PI: B. Mehra).

• Information Seeking Behaviors of International Students: Use of Web-Based and Offline Information Support Services ($3000), SARIF Summer Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee, Summer 2006 (PIs: B. Mehra, D. Bilal).

• Information Support Services for African-American Graduate Students ($2000). Dean’s Summer Research Grant, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee, Summer 2006 (PI: B. Mehra).

• Developing an Intercultural Toolkit for Leadership in the Information Age ($2500), UTK Ready for the World Initiative, Grants for Special Projects, Fall 2006 (PIs alphabetical list: S. Allard, E. Cortez, B. Mehra, J. Watson).

• Transforming International and Intercultural Understandings: Self-Assessment and Reflexivity at the School of Information Sciences (Phase I) ($2500), UTK Intercultural and International Initiative (Quality Enhancement Plan), Special Projects, Spring 2006 (PIs: B. Mehra, J. Watson).

• The Diversity Resources Page (DRP): Usability and Evaluation of a Digital Library ($3000), SARIF Summer Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee, Summer 2005 (PI: B. Mehra).

• The Cross-Cultural Learning Process of International Doctoral Students: A Case Study in Library and Information Science (dissertation research), Hostetter A&M Scholarship, (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Graduate School of Library and Information Science), Fall 2003/Summer 2004.