Awards (Scholarships & Grants)

AASL Opens New Round of Inspire COVID Recovery Grants

CHICAGO – Through a special offering of its Inspire Collection Development Grant, made possible through the generous support of Marina “Marney” Welmers, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) will offer a second round of grants to specifically address collection loss and remote access requirements due to COVID-19 school closures. The grants are intended to help meet the needs of school libraries making the return to in-person learning. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on March 26, 2021.

Madison Public Library Receives 2021 ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way" Grant

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced that Madison (OH) Public Library is the recipient of the 2021 ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved" Grant. As the recipient of the grant, the library will receive $3,000 to engage tweens by making weekly visits to mobile home parks, using snacks and video games to develop a deeper connection to reading.

New Brunswick Free Public Library awarded 2021 ALSC/Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Program Grant

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded the 2021 ALSC/Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Program Grant to New Brunswick Free Public Library in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Cawthon named YALSA’s 2021 MAE Award winner

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has awarded Amanda Cawthon, Youth Services Librarian at Pflugerville (Texas) Public Library its 2021 Margaret A. Edwards (MAE) Award for Best Literature Program for Teens for her DiversiTeen Book Club Program. Cawthon will receive a $500 award for herself and an additional $500 for her library.

YALSA names 2021 Writing Award winners

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has selected the winners of its 2021 Writing Award, which aims to honor exemplary writing featured in its blogs and journals.

Winners were named in the following three categories:

YALSA names recipients of its 2021 Volunteers of the Year Award

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has named the recipients of its 2021 Volunteers of the Year Award. The award acknowledges the contributions of an individual YALSA member, YALSA chair or team lead, and YALSA group who have demonstrated outstanding service to the mission, goals and work of YALSA during a given service year. Each recipient will receive complimentary membership to YALSA for one year.

The recipients are as follows:

YALSA’s 2021 Great Book Giveaway provides more than $20,000 in materials to libraries in Maine, New Jersey, and New York

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has named Belfast (Maine) Area High School; Franklin Township Public Library in Somerset, NJ; and Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, NY, as recipients of its 2021 Great Books Giveaway.

Each library will receive a share of more than $20,000 worth of books, audiobooks and other materials donated to YALSA from publishers and producers in 2020.

Twenty additional 2020-2021 Spectrum Scholarships funded by anonymous donor

CHICAGO — Upon assuming the role of executive director of the American Library Association (ALA) last year, Tracie D. Hall prioritized the association's strategic focus on digital and information access; equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries and the LIS workforce; and the preservation of library services. As a 1998 recipient of the Spectrum Scholarship and former director of ALA's Office for Diversity, Hall immediately went to work in her leadership role, confronting racism and focusing on action.

Application Period Open for 2021 ALA GameRT 'Game On!' Grants

CHICAGO — The Games and Gaming Round Table of the American Library Association is proud to sponsor its annual grant program to enable libraries to develop gaming programs or collections for their patrons. Through the Game On! grants $500.00 will be available to be awarded either as one grant of $500 or two of $250 each to assist a library or libraries in developing gaming programs or collections for their communities.

2021 Professional development scholarship available through LRT

CHICAGO - The ALA Learning Round Table (LRT) will award up to $1,000 to an individual to participate in continuing education event(s) between September 1, 2021 and August 31, 2022. The award recipient will be required to share their new learning with other Round Table members in some way (newsletter, blog, listserve, etc.).  This opportunity is open to everyone! You do NOT have to be an ALA member to apply.