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Century Scholarship: Celebrating a New Century that Celebrates Diversity

Century Scholarship LogoThe Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, Library Service to Special Populations Section and the Library Service to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities Forum is pleased to announce the establishment of the Century Scholarship, that will recruit people with disabilities into the library profession, beginning in the year 2000. Initial funding has been contributed by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Century Scholarship will enable ALA to fulfill one of its most important missions: to bring diversity into the library profession so that the library profession reflects the diversity of the communities library professionals serve.

"We are very excited about the establishment of this scholarship and initiative to recruit people with disabilities into the profession. We need library professionals who are knowledgeable about the needs of people with disabilities. We encourage individuals, library schools, and corporations to become active in this pursuit as well by supporting this initiative and our goals through monetary contributions, active recruitment into library and information science programs and making university programs accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities," stated scholarship chair, Lisa Scholl.

The annual $2,500 scholarship will fund services or accommodation for a library school student or students with disabilities admitted to an ALA-accredited library school. The scholarship will fund services or accommodations that are either not provided by law or otherwise by the university that will enable the student or students to successfully complete the course of study for a Master's or Doctorate in Library Science and become a library or information studies professional.

To read application instructions, use this link. (Note that further down that page are links to the specific requirements for all scholarships.) Follow this link to apply, but be prepared to create a person login and password. (This is not the same as the login you use for members-only Web services.)

Information about applying for scholarship

  • Applicants must provide a letter on official stationery containing a brief statement attesting to their disability, bearing the signature of the authorizing professional. (Such verifying sources can include counselors in educational, vocational, and rehabilitation agencies, offices of disability services in colleges and veteran administrations, health professionals, and other qualified persons.)
  • Student must be U.S. or Canadian citizen.
  • There are no requirements on semester hours for a continuing student.
  • Factors considered: Academic excellence, financial needs, leadership, and professional goals.
  • Prepare a personal statement, one page, typewritten, outlining your interest in librarianship and how library education will aid you in achieving your goals.
  • The award (check) will be made directly to the scholarship recipient(s).
  • A presentation of the scholarship will be made at the ASCLA President's Program during Annual Conference.

For further information, contact Eileen Hardy, ASCLA, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL, 60611, e-mail: ehardy@ala.org, (800) 545-2433, 1-4396, TDD: (888) 814-7692.

For information about the ASCLA Century Scholarship Endowment, read this press release.

Recipients

2000 -- Rebecca Van Scyoc
2001 -- Simon John Maxwell Healey
2002 -- Christine Anne Baynes
2003 -- Sara Lynn Hyder
2004 -- Jeffrey Thompson
2005 -- Ivan Murillo
2006 -- Avery Deane Olmstead IV



Related Links

Awards & Scholarships Main Pages
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