MiALA Annual Conference Scholarships
The 2024 MiALA Conference Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the availability of multiple scholarships to support current MiALA members' attendance at the Annual Conference. The scholarship will cover the cost of full in-person conference registration as well as up to two nights lodging in the conference hotel. The scholarship recipient and/or recipient’s institution will be expected to cover any remaining conference costs.
Important Dates
Application period: opens March 4, 2024 and closes March 29, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Scholarships recipients will be notified by April 15, 2024
Eligibility
To apply for a MiALA Annual Conference Scholarship, an individual must meet the following criteria:
Be a current individual/retiree member of MiALA in good standing; and
MiALA annual dues must be current and paid prior to applying
Current MiALA Board of Directors and Conference Planning Committee members are NOT eligible to apply.
Past scholarship recipients may not apply for another MiALA Annual Conference scholarship for five years.
All scholarships are non-transferable. If a member is selected and cannot attend, an alternate will be selected from among eligible entries
Grants/prizes/awards obtained from other MiALA programs that cover conference registration fees may not be used in conjunction with the MiALA Annual Conference scholarships and are non-transferable.
Evaluation Rubric
The selection committee will factor in the following criteria as a guide in making their selections:
Applicants that are new to library employment or are a library student;
First time attendees to the annual conference;
Have financial hardship due to budgetary restrictions at applicants' institutions;
How long an applicant has been a member of MiALA; and
Other information provided as appropriate
Greater preference will be given to applicants that are brand new to the library field, have never attended a MiALA Annual Conference, serve in an intern and/or support staff role, and/or are experiencing financial hardship. Other information shared within their application may also be taken into consideration including the effort put forth in completion of the application and other factors.
Testimonials
Amy Klebba, 2023 MiALA Scholarship Recipient, Collections Access Librarian at Kettering University Library says:
"Applying for a scholarship is worth your time and effort. Winning the scholarship enables you to have your conference fee covered and two nights of your hotel stay. It's one less thing to worry about while you are planning your conference trip. It is super easy to fill out the form and the result will be worth it."
Beth Lieberman, 2019 MiALA Scholarship Recipient, North Central Michigan College says:
"As a library support staff member at a community college with a limited budget, I would not have been able to attend the conference without the assistance provided. The knowledge I gained from the keynote speaker, various breakout sessions, and one-on-one conversations with fellow attendees is invaluable … I strongly encourage anyone wanting to attend MiALA’s Annual Conference to apply for one of the several scholarships available."
2024 Conference Scholarship Committee members are:
Gina Bolger, Calvin College (Co-chair)
Jessica Sender, MSU (Co-chair)
Micky Carignano, WMU
Jeff Daniels, GVSU
Rachel Minkin, MSU
The scholarship selection committee shall consist of members of the MiALA Conference Planning committee and MiALA members. The committee will moderate the selection process and utilize the selection criteria below to identify seven scholarship recipients and two alternates. The decisions are final and there is no appeal process.
If you have any questions, please contact one of the scholarship committee co-chairs, Gina Bolger or Jessica Sender (gina.bolger@calvin.edu and jsender@msu.edu)