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Contact: Angela Thullen


PLA, Marketing Specialist



312-280-5026

For Immediate Release

August 22, 2006

"Grow Your Own @ Your Library" institutional


scholarship application available online

CHICAGO - The Public Library Association (PLA) is now accepting applications for its popular "Grow Your Own @ Your Library" institutional scholarship through the online application form available at
www.pla.org.

This year, PLA will award nine public libraries with grants of $8,000 each to be distributed to staff members who are working to obtain a master's degree in library and information science. One library from each of the nine Public Library Data Service (PLDS) population categories will be selected.
Please see the award application for more information on the nine service population categories.

The scholarship terms require that $6,500 be used directly for payment of tuition at the undergraduate level, or for coursework at an ALA-accredited library school at the graduate level, for as many staff as the recipient library chooses.
The remaining $1,500 is to be used to support attendance for one or more of the selected scholarship recipients to attend PLA-sponsored continuing education.

An award jury appointed by PLA President Susan Hildreth will review each nomination.
The deadline for submitting an application is December 1, 2006. The award jury will review applications and select a recipient at the American Library Association (ALA) 2007 Midwinter Meeting.
Award winners will be announced in February 2007.

For more information on this and other PLA award programs, contact the PLA office at 800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or visit PLA's Web site at
www.pla.org. PLA is a division of the American Library Association.