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Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship

What is the Conable Scholarship?

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is offering a scholarship for library school students and new professionals to attend ALA's Annual Conference. The goal of the Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship is to advance to principles that Gordon held dear: intellectual freedom and mentorship. The 2008 ALA Annual Conference will be held June 26–July 2 in Anaheim, CA.

The Conable Scholarship will provide for registration, transportation, housing for six nights, and a per diem. In return, the recipient will be expected to attend various FTRF and other intellectual freedom meetings and programs at conference, consult with a mentor/board member, and present a report about their experiences and thoughts.

The deadline for submitting an application for the 2008 Conable Scholarship is Monday, May 5; the award will be announced on Wednesday, May 14.

Who is eligible?

Students currently enrolled in a library and information studies degree program, and new professionals (those who have worked in librarianship for three years or less) are eligible to receive the Conable Scholarship. Those interested must submit an application including two references and an essay detailing their interest in intellectual freedom issues. Applicants also are asked to attach a résumé, particularly those who are working professionals.

Note: If the recipient is already registered for ALA’s Annual Conference, he or she will have their conference fee refunded.

Who was Gordon M. Conable?

Gordon Conable was a California librarian and intellectual freedom champion who served several terms as president of the Freedom to Read Foundation. His unexpected death in 2005 inspired his wife and FTRF to create the Conable Fund, which provides funding for the Conable Scholarship.

Gordon was executive vice president for public libraries at Library Systems and Services (LSSI) in Riverside, CA. He was responsible for management and performance of LSSI's public library contracts, including the 30-branch Riverside County, CA system. He also served as director of the Monroe County (MI) Library System from 1988-1998; during his tenure there, he withstood an intense controversy over Madonna's book Sex. Before that he was associate director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library in Washington. For his efforts, Conable was a recipient of the Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award and the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award for "intellectual freedom fighters." In 1994 he was the first librarian recognized as Michigan's Public Administrator of the Year.

       
Gordon M. Conable Scholarship
Online Application

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Date 

First Name 

Last Name 

Preferred Address 

Continued 

City 

State (abbrev.) 

Zip Code 

Day Phone 

Alternate Phone 

E-mail 

I am currently enrolled in a library/information studies degree program

Name of Institution 

I am a professional librarian with less than three years’ experience

Name of Institution 

I am less than three years removed from receiving a degree in library/information studies, 
but working in another field/currently unemployed