ARSL Conference Scholarships

Congratulations to the 2021 recipients of ARSL's Conference Scholarships! 

ARSL Angels Scholarship
Michele Seil, Carrington City Library, Carrington, ND
Lee Rainey, Jesse Peterman Memorial Library, Floyd, VA

Dr. Bernard Vavrek Scholarship
Hannah Hobbs, University of Sothern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS

Founders Scholarship
Debra J. Lay, Vose Library, Union, ME

Ken Davenport Scholarship
Paulina Poplawska, New Ulm Public Library, New Ulm, MN

On behalf of the ARSL Board of Directors, we wish to give a huge thank you to the Scholarships Subcommittee of ARSL's Continuing Education Committee for their hard work and dedication in this year's scholarship process.

2021 Scholarship Application Timeline

  • 1st Week of May: Application Window Opens
  • May 28: Application Window Closes
  • July 2: Date By Which All Applicants Will Be Notified
  • July 6: Early Bird Registration Opens

Available Scholarships

Dr. Bernard Vavrek Scholarship 
Student scholarship

  • Current part-time or full-time student taking Library and Information Science classes 
  • First-time conference attendee (not counting the 2020 Virtual Conference) 

Award:

  • One year of ARSL membership 
  • Complimentary registration
  • Three nights hotel in a conference hotel
  • $500 travel stipend  

Founders Scholarship
Early career library professionals

  • ARSL member in good standing 
  • Working in library career between 1-5 years
  • Currently employed at a small and/or rural library 
  • First-time conference attendee (not counting the 2020 Virtual Conference) 
  • A degree or certification is not required for eligibility

Award:

  • Complimentary registration
  • Three nights hotel in a conference hotel
  • $500 travel stipend 

Ken Davenport Scholarship
Library professionals with 6-10 years in career

  • ARSL member in good standing 
  • Working in library career between 6-10 years
  • Currently employed at a small and/or rural library 
  • First-time conference attendee (not counting the 2020 Virtual Conference) 
  • A degree or certification is not required 

Award:

  • Complimentary registration
  • Three nights hotel in a conference hotel

Angel Scholarship

  • ARSL member in good standing 
  • Currently employed at a small and/or rural library 
  • First-time conference attendee (not counting the 2020 Virtual Conference) 
  • A degree or certification is not required 

Award:

  • Complimentary registration
  • Three nights hotel in a conference hotel

Recipient Responsibilities 

  • Scholarship recipients are expected to attend the entire conference.
  • Scholarship recipients are required to submit an article/blog post to ARSL regarding their conference experience for use on the website to advertise future conferences.  The blog post, as well as any required receipts for reimbursement, are due within 30 after conference attendance.  
  • Recipients may be asked to serve on future scholarship committees. 

Third Party Funders 

Interested in providing ARSL scholarships? ARSL encourages third–party funders, such as vendors, to provide scholarship opportunities. If a third party chooses to fully cover the cost of a scholarship and asks ARSL to administer the selection, they will be allowed to establish their own award amount and selection criteria. The amount awarded will at minimum be equal to the conference registration cost. ARSL reserves the right to review and approve criteria used to select scholarship recipients. 

If additional third-party scholarships are offered for attendees that are dependent upon attending a particular session, ARSL will require the scholarship recipient to register for and attend the entire conference. Awards offered through a partnership with the ARSL organization or conference may have criteria set by the Conference Committee in conjunction with the funding partner.