Review the timeline, materials, selection process, and eligibility for the 2026 Kaleidoscope Program application process.
Application
Application Timeline
- Wednesday, April 1, 2026: ARL issues Call for Applications
- Thursday, April 16, 2026, 1:00–2:00 p.m.Eastern Daylight Time: Application Informational Session
- Wednesday, May 13, 2026 by 11:59 p.m. Hawai’i Standard Time: Applications due to ARL
- July 2026: ARL notifies applications of selection decisions
- August 2026: Cohort launch
Informational Session
ARL hosted an informational session on Thursday, April 16, 2026, 1:00–2:00 p.m. eastern daylight time, to share more about the Kaleidoscope Program and answer questions.
Passcode: !dV53R+N
Application Materials
All applicants are required to submit the following materials (requests for accommodations, questions, and concerns should be sent via email to dei@arl.org):
- Online application form (requires Google account; program participation also requires a Google account; a free Google account may be created at https://www.google.com/account/about/). Please be prepared to respond to each of the following prompts within the character limits noted (including spaces):
- Describe how earning your American Library Association (ALA)-accredited master’s degree will support your professional interests and advance your career goals. How would participation in the Kaleidoscope Program contribute to your professional growth, and what value do you hope to gain from the experience? (1,750 characters)
- Describe a time when you received critical feedback or encountered a challenge in your academic or professional journey. How did you respond, and how has that experience shaped the way you approach your work and career growth? In your reflection, describe what professional success means to you. (1,750 characters)
- Describe a time when you worked in, with, and/or through community to remove barriers and expand engagement. (1,250 characters)
- Graduate transcripts (unofficial or official) including last academic semester completed in ALA-accredited graduate program OR copy of official letter of acceptance into an ALA-accredited graduate program (either at the time of application or before being accepted into the Kaleidoscope Program)
- Two recommendations from:
- a current or past manager/supervisor (academic or professional) or faculty/instructor; and
- any person.
Recommendations must be completed and submitted via this form by the recommender by Wednesday, May 13, 2026 by 11:59 p.m. Hawai’i Standard Time. There are three recommendation prompts available in the form. Applicants are responsible for coordinating the prompts to which each recommender will respond, ensuring that each prompt receives at least one response (one prompt will receive two responses). Recommenders should be prepared to respond to their assigned prompts in 1,000 characters or less (including spaces) each:
- Passions & Aspirations: Describe how the applicant’s passions and aspirations align with the program’s goal to prepare Scholars for a purposeful and consequential career in research libraries and archives.
- Program Benefit: Describe how the applicant will uniquely benefit from leadership development and community building opportunities.
- Community: Describe a time when the applicant demonstrated leadership in and/or made contributions to a community.
Applicants are encouraged to request recommendations using the Recommendation Request Template, which includes an overview of the Kaleidoscope Program and provides details and instructions on submitting the recommendation.
Selection Process
Application materials are evaluated by the KP Selection Working Group (SWG) using the criteria and guidance developed by the KP Task Force. The SWG returns a ranked list of recommendations based on the evaluation of the application material to the KP Task Force. The task force makes the final selection informed by the SWG rankings as well as cohort composition.
ARL staff will prepare the materials for the SWG to separate personally identifiable information (PII) from applicants’ responses to the reflection prompts. All materials must be received by ARL via the application and recommendation forms unless approval is granted for an alternative arrangement or accommodation. Application materials may be accepted after the due date based on the capacity of ARL staff and the SWG.
Masked Application Materials
The KP application review will be conducted without sharing applicants’ PII with the SWG. PII is any information that could allow the specific identity of an applicant to be known: such as name, graduate program, institution, title. While this information is collected via the application form, it will not be provided to the SWG.
Evaluation Criteria
Each application will be reviewed and scored by each SWG member using four evaluation criteria. Without including PII, applicants are encouraged to include details of previous achievements, current efforts, and/or future intentions as relevant to each category.
Higher scores will be awarded for applications that provide clear, relevant evidence for each criteria and include multiple, specific examples of action and impact where applicable.
Professional Interests & Goals
Strong applications will either (a) identify applicants’ specific areas of interest within libraries and archives and describe how they became interested in the areas as well as how they hope to explore the areas in the future or (b) describe applicants’ general interest in the field as well as options they may pursue to identify specific areas of interest. All strong applications will include specific, measurable goals as well as how they will determine success for each goal.
Growth & Learning Mindset
Strong applications will demonstrate applicants’ curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm for their studies/the profession; articulate applicants’ intention to engage the multiple components of the Kaleidoscope Program for both program years; and levels of initiative and motivation to grow personally and professionally.
Value from Program Participation
Strong applications will describe individualized benefits of program participation for applicants based on their specific needs, goals, experiences, and circumstances.
Awareness of Self & Communities
Strong applications will address applicants’ strengths and areas for growth; the ways applicants’ identities, values, and beliefs inform how they experience situations and how others experience them; and the importance of communities, relationships, and connections to applicants.
Eligibility
The Kaleidoscope Program is designed for emerging and expanding first-level leaders interested in pursuing a career in a research library or archive. To be eligible to participate in the Kaleidoscope Program, applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
- Be a resident of Canada or the US
- Be enrolled in a master’s program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA)
- Scholars should be enrolled in the term following the program start date (August 1, 2026)
- Demonstrate a strong interest in pursuing a career in a research library or archive
