Funding our future: Developing creative partnerships for libraries.

Sarah Chaney, Museum and Events Manager at the Royal College of Nursing

Abstract

Grant funding can be one of the most useful income streams for library services – and one of the most challenging. This talk focuses on how the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Library and Museum has developed creative partnership and projects, and the benefits this has had for the service.

In 2015, the RCN launched a public exhibitions and events programme. Since then we have used funded projects to conserve and interpret collections, expand staffing capacity, and engage users in new ways. This paper will consider several different routes to funding our activities, through direct applications as well as by developing partnerships with universities and other organisations.

While writing grant applications is time consuming, the requirement to think differently can transform services. Applying to the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped us expand our volunteering programme and develop our history of nursing networks. We have also partnered with universities and researchers on exhibitions, events, and creative interventions including a Time Travelling Operating Theatre and a unique medical history game.

Whether you’d like to apply for a one-year collections project or a one-day event, this talk will have ideas and tips for you.

Biography

Sarah Chaney is Museum and Events Manager at the Royal College of Nursing. She has worked in small health and medical museums for twenty-five years, primarily in audience development and fundraising. She has a PhD in History of Medicine and has carried out research work associated with a range of universities. She has experience of working with a range of funders, from Wellcome Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to smaller public engagement bodies.

Summer Conference 2025: Stop! Collaborate and Listen: Partnerships in Libraries

UHMLG’s 2025 Summer Conference brings together a range of fantastic speakers to look at partnerships within libraries. The conference is taking place in person at the Hive in Worcester and spans two half days (13-14 June, 2025). Our core audience is UK / Republic of Ireland health and medical librarians from the Higher Education and NHS / health sectors, but we welcome delegates from any area of librarianship, and from anywhere in the world.

More information / Book your place

For full information about the conference, and to book your place, please visit our Summer Conference 2025 page.