It’s never too early or too late to start looking into scholarships to help finance your library and information science education. Many professional library organizations offer scholarships ranging from general scholarships to those with a more specialized focus or interest. To learn more about the requirements of these scholarships, deadlines, and additional information, be sure to visit the correlating organization’s website.
General
- The ALA David H. Clift Scholarship was named after a former director of the ALA. The recipient of this scholarship will receive $3,000.
- Named after a Director of ALA Conference Services, the Christopher Hoy/Exhibits Round Table (ERT) Scholarship grants $5,000 to an individual enrolled in an accredited LIS program.
- Andrew Ippolito Scholarship Award (Nassau County Library Association) is awarded to NCLA members who are LIS students in an ALA-accredited program located within the New York Metropolitan area and has completed at least 12 credits toward their degree.
Youth/ School Librarianship
- ALA/ALSC Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship is granted to those intending to work in children’s librarianship. Two $6,000 scholarships are given annually.
- ALA/ALSC Bound to Stay Bound Books (BTSB) Scholarship is given in the form of four $7,000 annual awards to students planning on working in children’s services.
- ALA Mary V. Gaver Scholarship is an annual $3,000 scholarship given to individuals who are in pursuit of an MLS specializing in youth services in an ALA-accredited program.
- The Barbara Flescher Scholarship (The Children’s Librarians Association of Suffolk County) is given to students interested in pursuing a career as a children’s librarian in a public library. The recipient will be awarded $1,500.
- NYLA Society of Student Librarians (SSL) Beatrice E. Griggs Scholarship is given to a student enrolled in a LIS program working toward the school library media certification. The awardee will receive $1,000 and registration to the SSL Spring Conference.
Minority/Interest in Working with Minority Groups
- Spectrum Scholarship is given to students from racial and ethnic underrepresented groups who are pursuing a MLS degree. Recipients are awarded $5,000 annually as well as $1,500 in professional development funds.
- LITA/OCLC Minority Scholarship in Library and Information Technology is awarded to LIS students who are qualified members of a principal minority group and have a strong commitment to the use of automated systems in libraries.
- The REFORMA Scholarship, awarded annually at $1,500, is given to LIS students who exhibit an interest in working with the Latino or Spanish-speaking community.
- Asian Pacific Americans Library Association (APALA) Scholarship provides financial support to a student of Asian or Pacific background who is enrolled or accepted into a masters’ or doctoral degree program in Library and/or Information Science at an ALA-accredited school. The recipient will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
Special Librarianship: Law
- AALL George A. Strait Minority Scholarship is awarded annually to members of a minority group attending either an accredited law or library school, with meaningful law experience and future plans for a career in law librarianship. Applicants must also show financial need.
AALL Educational Scholarships
- Library School Scholarship for those with a Law Degree is awarded to a law school graduate working towards a degree in an accredited library school with the intention of having a career as a law librarian.
- Library School Scholarship for those without a Law Degree is given to a college graduate with meaningful law library experience who is a degree candidate in an accredited library school with the intention of having a career as a law librarian. Preference is given to applicants working for degrees with emphasis on courses in law librarianship.
- Students who apply for one of the AALL Educational Scholarships are automatically eligible for LexisNexis John R. Johnson Memorial Scholarship.
Medical
- Medical Library Association (MLA) Scholarship gives up to $5,000 to a student who is entering a Masters program at an ALA-accredited library school or who has yet to finish at least one half of the program’s requirements in the year following the granting of the scholarship.
- MLA Scholarship for Minority Students grants up to $5,000 to a minority student who is entering a Masters program at an ALA-accredited library school or has yet to complete at least one half of the program’s requirements in the year following the granting of the scholarship.
Archives
- Society of American Archivists (SAA) F. Gerald Ham Scholarship is given to students in their second year of a two-year professional archival studies program. The recipient will be awarded $7,500.
- SAA Mosaic Scholarship is given to minority students in pursuit of a graduate degree in archival studies, who demonstrate excellent potential for scholastic and personal achievement and manifest a commitment to both the archives profession and to advancing diversity concerns within it. The individual given the award will receive $5,000 and a one-year complimentary membership in the SAA and complimentary registration to the Society’s Annual Meeting for the year the scholarship is awarded.
- SAA Josephine Forman Scholarship was established to provide financial support to minority students pursuing a graduate education in archival studies. The awardee is given $10,000 and may be invited to attend the annual meeting of the General Commission on Archives and History and/or the Quadrennial Historical Convention.