The Library Assessment Conference builds and furthers the library assessment community by bringing together interested practitioners and researchers who have responsibility or interest in the broad field of library assessment. Since 2014, scholarships have been awarded to individuals from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to attend the conference. Ten $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for attendance at the 2018 Library Assessment Conference: Building Effective, Sustainable, Practical Assessment in Houston, Texas, December 5–7. Each award will include conference registration plus $1,000 to cover travel costs and/or workshop registration fees.
The conference’s goal in awarding these travel scholarships is to encourage conference participants to engage with others in the library assessment community to enrich their knowledge and skills in methodologies, research, and evaluation.
“The Library Assessment Conference showed me innovative and creative ways to assess the needs of library users and how well the library is meeting those needs,” said Linda Garcia, travel award recipient in 2016 and access services librarian at Montana State University Billings. “Thanks to the travel award, I was able to afford this eye-opening experience!”
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants are:
- students enrolled in a graduate program;
- fellows participating in one of ARL’s diversity recruitment programs; or
- library professionals within the first three years of their professional careers.
Selection Criteria
The selection criteria for the scholarship are:
- diverse representation—eligible classifications include those outlined by the US Census Bureau and Statistics Canada as well as Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous classifications;
- a record of strong interest in assessment demonstrated by related coursework or activities; and
- potential to contribute to the profession by deploying and developing innovative assessment and evaluation methods and strategies. In particular, exceptional applications will exhibit strong creativity and passion in this area.
Benefits and Responsibilities
The $1,000 scholarship is to cover registration fees for any of the pre- and/or post-conference workshops, air and ground transportation, hotel accommodations, and meals. Awardees will be responsible for:
- making arrangements for travel and hotel accommodations;
- paying for any meals above and beyond what is covered by the scholarship; and
- registering for the conference and selecting invoice as the payment option—the conference will cover the registration fee.
The awardees will also be asked to collaborate and write an issue brief highlighting key themes from their conference experience and their overall experience. ARL will publish the issue brief on its website. Awardees are also encouraged to use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media during the event and contribute to a shared Google doc for collective note-taking.
Applications
- a statement of interest (400 words maximum) that describes how attending the Library Assessment Conference supports their learning and development goals;
- a résumé or CV; and
- a recommendation letter from a faculty member or supervisor.
More Information
For additional information, visit the travel awards web page or email to LAConf@arl.org.