Awards (Scholarships & Grants)

United for Libraries to coordinate 16th Annual National Friends of Libraries Week; award applications open

EXTON, Pa. — Friends of the Library groups and libraries across the country will be celebrating the 16th annual National Friends of Libraries Week Oct. 17-23, 2021.

National Friends of Libraries Week offers a two-fold opportunity to celebrate Friends – promoting the group in the community, raising awareness and increasing membership, and giving libraries and boards of trustees the opportunity to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library.

Applications Open for 2022 AASL Awards

CHICAGO – Applications for the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) 2022 awards are now available. AASL members are encouraged to nominate a colleague or themselves to be lauded for their outstanding talent and dedication to the profession as part of this prestigious awards program. AASL awards and grants recognize excellence and showcase best practices in the school library field in categories that include collaboration, leadership, and innovation.

Applications are now open for:

LIS Students: Apply for the 2022 Larew Scholarship for Tuition Help

Core and Baker & Taylor are accepting applications for the Core Christian (Chris) Larew Memorial Scholarship for those who plan to follow a career in library and information technology, demonstrate potential leadership, and hold a strong commitment to library automation. The winner will receive a $3,000 check and a citation. The application form is open through March 1, 2022.

David Satten-López Named 2021 Core/OCLC Spectrum Scholar

CHICAGO—The American Library Association (ALA) has awarded the 2021 Core/OCLC Spectrum Scholarship in Library and Information Technology to David Satten-López, who will begin the MLIS program at Drexel University in Philadelphia (PA) this fall. He is interested in audiovisual materials and increasing the dissemination of digital materials through minimal computing frameworks.

ALA partners with Communities for Immunity to boost vaccine confidence

Washington, D.C. -- The American Library Association (ALA) is partnering with Communities for Immunity, an unprecedented collaboration among libraries and museums to boost COVID-19 information and vaccine confidence in communities across the United States. Communities for Immunity provides funding to libraries, museums, science centers and other cultural institutions to enhance vaccine confidence where it matters most: at the local level. 

ALSC supports 2021 Bound to Stay Bound, Melcher, and Spectrum Scholarships

CHICAGO – The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded a total of 6 students the Bound to Stay Bound and Melcher Scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year. Additionally, ALSC has sponsored 2 Spectrum Scholars and 1 additional Spectrum Scholar made possible through the generous support of Ellen Fader, 2005-2006 past-president.    

ALA Awards Spectrum Scholarships for 2021

CHICAGO — Today, the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services awarded the 2021 Spectrum Scholarships to 60 exceptional students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies.

Virginia Beach Library Foundation Awarded 2021 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Visit Award

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded the 2021 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Visit Award to the Virginia Beach Library Foundation on behalf of the Virginia Beach Public Library in Virginia Beach, VA.

The award, sponsored by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, is designed to provide up to $4,000 to an ALSC member’s library to fund a visit from an author/illustrator to speak with children who might otherwise not have the opportunity to hear from a nationally known author/illustrator.

AASL awards four Inspire COVID Relief Grants

CHICAGO – Four school libraries from across the country have been awarded American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) Inspire COVID Recovery Grants. Made possible by the generosity of AASL member Marina “Marney” Welmers, the grant program provides funds to addresses collection loss and remote access requirements due to COVID-19 school closures. A first round of recovery grants was awarded in the fall of 2020.