Daniel Greenstein, Suzanne E. Thorin

Funding—especially external grant funding—is critically important to the startup digital library. Because it reduces the risk inherent in highly uncertain and technologically dependent activities, external grant funding is a mechanism that is particularly appropriate for the experimental orientation of embryonic digital library programs. Grant funding also gives fledgling programs national stature and local legitimacy and helps secure subsequent funding from external and internal sources. Securing external funding depends to some extent, however, on the ability to write convincing grant proposals and on the use of marketing and promotional techniques that many libraries have not yet developed and are not yet associated with their digital library programs.