This year, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and Digital Library Federation (DLF) will again sponsor a number of fellowship and travel awards meant to foster a more diverse and inclusive practitioner community in digital libraries and related fields.
ARL+DLF Forum Fellowships are designed to offset or completely cover travel and lodging expenses associated with attending the annual DLF Forum, which will be held November 7–9, 2016, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ARL+DLF Forum Fellows additionally receive a complimentary full registration to the forum (up to a $750 value) and an invitation to special networking events. Fellows will be required to write a blog post about their experiences at the forum, to be published by the DLF and shared in ARL news venues.
History of the ARL+DLF Fellowship
The DLF Forum typically achieves good gender balance, both for speakers and attendees—but DLF’s project to increase participant diversity and create an ever more inclusive community is an ongoing one. To this end, DLF began partnering with the Association of Research Libraries in 2013 to welcome Forum Fellows from Underrepresented Groups. Beginning in 2016, based on feedback from program participants and members of the new DLF Forum planning committee on inclusion, awardees will simply be known as ARL+DLF Forum Fellows. ARL and DLF are also proud to be strengthening the networking opportunities available to the fellows, both at and beyond the forum, in collaboration with colleagues across the two associations.
Eligibility Requirements
ARL+DLF Forum Fellowship applicants must be nominated by an ARL member institution; a DLF member institution; or a community college; historically black college or university (HBCU); tribal college or university (TCU); or state, local, or regional tribal government. Applicants should identify as members of a group (or groups) underrepresented among digital library and cultural heritage practitioners. These include—but are not limited to—people of Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, Asian, Middle Eastern, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, First Nations, American Indian, or Alaskan Native descent. Applications from people who could contribute to the diversity of the forum in other ways are also warmly welcomed.
To Apply
Send an e-mail to awards@diglib.org with the subject “ARL+DLF Forum Fellowship: [Your Name]”, containing one PDF document that includes the following items:
- Brief cover letter of nomination from a supervisor, dean, relevant senior colleague, or other organizational leader
- Personal statement (under 500 words) explaining your involvement in digital libraries and related fields, indicating eligibility, and describing how you see yourself benefiting from and participating in the DLF Forum and wider DLF and ARL communities
- Statement of your need, including a brief budget request, with estimated costs of travel and lodging for the DLF Forum not otherwise covered by institutional professional development funds (which should be applied where possible)
Applications are due by 8:00 a.m. eastern daylight time on Monday, June 13, 2016. Applicants will be notified of their status in early to mid-July.
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/.
About the Digital Library Federation
The Digital Library Federation (DLF) is a robust and diverse community of practitioners dedicated to the advancement of research, learning, social justice, and the public good through the creative design and wise application of digital library technologies. DLF serves as a resource and catalyst for collaboration among the staff of its 145 institutional members and all who are invested in digital library issues. DLF can be found on the web at https://www.diglib.org/ and on Twitter at @CLIRDLF.
