The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is extending the application deadline to Tuesday, May 31, for scholarships to support individuals from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to attend the 2016 Library Assessment Conference: Building Effective, Sustainable, Practical Assessment in Arlington, Virginia, on October 31–November 2. The Association is offering 10 awards, each of which will include conference registration and $1,000 to cover travel costs and/or workshop registration fees.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants are:
- students enrolled in graduate programs;
- fellows or scholars participating in ARL’s diversity recruitment programs; or
- library professionals within the first three years of their careers.
The Association’s goal is to encourage conference participants to engage with a diverse group of people relatively new to the library assessment community to share knowledge and skills in methodologies, research, and evaluation.
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 and activities; and
- potential to contribute to the profession by deploying and developing innovative assessment and evaluation methods and strategies.
Three to five scholarships are reserved for current participants in ARL diversity recruitment programs. Students and practitioners with fewer than three years of professional experience are especially encouraged to apply.
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—ARL will cover the conference registration fee.
Each awardee will also be asked to post a blog entry on the Library Assessment blog about the conference as a way to share their experience with the assessment community.
Applications
Apply online by Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The selection committee—composed of members of the ARL Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the ARL Assessment Committee—will notify applicants of selection decisions in early June.
Each applicant must provide:
- a statement of interest (400 words maximum) that describes how attending the Library Assessment Conference supports your learning and development goals;
- a résumé or CV; and
- a recommendation letter from a faculty member or supervisor.
Registration
Early-bird registration for the 2016 Library Assessment Conference closes July 1. Register online at http://libraryassessment.org/reg/.
Pre-conference workshops will be held on Sunday, October 30, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and post-conference workshops will be held on Thursday, November 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Information about the workshops, including fees, is available on the conference website at http://libraryassessment.org/workshops/.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at https://www.arl.org/.
