Alaska Library Association Scholarship

The AkLA Scholarship is awarded annually to an Alaska resident who is pursuing an MLS in an ALA-accredited Program.

For more than twenty-five years the Alaska Library Association has been offering scholarships to MLS students in order to provide financial assistance to worthy students pursuing graduate studies leading to a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies and to encourage graduates to return to Alaska and work in professional library positions. Scholarships may be awarded for both on-campus and/or distance education programs. Preference will be given to an individual meeting the federal definition of Alaska Native ethnicity.

An applicant must be an Alaskan resident who:

  • is eligible for acceptance, is currently enrolled, or will be a student in a graduate school library media specialist certificate program during the academic year, semester, or academic quarter for which the scholarship is received.
  • makes a commitment to work in an Alaska library for a minimum of one year after graduation as a paid employee or a volunteer, or for two semesters for one semester’s financial assistance. A scholarship recipient who fails to fulfill this commitment will be expected to repay the money received. Candidates awarded the scholarship must supply proof of admission to an accredited program before the scholarship is disbursed.

The AkLA Scholarship Committee will select an individual based on the following criteria:

  • Applicant’s response to an essay question regarding his/her professional goals and objectives in pursuing a library career
  • Demonstrated scholastic ability and writing skills
  • Strength of references. Three Applicant Reference Evaluation Forms are required, at least one of which must be from a librarian. References may include additional comments or letters.
  • Financial need

Please note new application procedures! Fill out the online form, and then mail a current resume, official college transcripts, and three references using this printable Word form, to AkLA Scholarship Committee, Att: Julie M. Niederhauser, Alaska State Library, 395 Whittier St., Juneau, AK 99801.  A complete application packet must be received by January 15 of the award year. The recipient is announced at the annual spring AkLA conference.

Intellectual Freedom Course & Scholarship for LIS Students

FTRF GSLIS

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) are pleased to announce a partnership to offer an online graduate-level course on intellectual freedom for library and information science (LIS) students around the country. The course, in its third year, will be taught by GSLIS professor Emily Knox, who was awarded a 2015 Instructor of the Year award by the WISE (Web-based Information Science Education) consortium for the course. It is a project of the Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund.

“Intellectual Freedom and Censorship” is a 2-credit course and will meet online Tuesdays August 23–October 11, 2016. It is open to any student enrolled in an LIS degree program. As part of the collaboration, Freedom to Read Foundation staff and volunteers will lend their expertise as guest speakers, and FTRF and ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom archival materials will be made available to students.

“Our culture is at a tipping point, a shift in its tolerance for the First Amendment. It is imperative that today’s library students have a deep and thoughtful exposure to the value of free speech. And who better to receive it from than the 2015 WISE instructor of the year?” said James LaRue, Director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom to Read Foundation.

“I’m excited to teach the intellectual freedom and censorship class again this Fall,” said Professor Emily Knox. “The course is one of the highlights of my semester. I, like the students, enjoy listening and learning from our weekly speakers and I love our spirited class discussions.”

To encourage students outside the University of Illinois to participate, FTRF is offering four half-scholarships ($700 each). Applications for the scholarships are due May 2, 2016. For more information and to apply for the scholarship visit www.ftrf.org/?Krug_Education

Students enrolled in programs affiliated with the WISE consortium will be provided course credit automatically upon completion of the course. Others will need to coordinate course credit with their home institution.

For more information and questions regarding registration please contact: Karla Lucht at U of I, klucht@illinois.edu, 217-244-3810, or staff at the Freedom to Read Foundation, FTRF@ALA.org or 312-280-4226.

For information about technology used for online education at U of I please see: http://www.lis.illinois.edu/academics/itd/welcome.

The Freedom to Read Foundation (www.ftrf.org) is a First Amendment legal defense and education organization affiliated with the American Library Association. In 2009, following the death of its founding executive director Judith Krug, FTRF created the Judith Krug Memorial Fund. The Krug Fund has two purposes: to support Banned Books Week via event grants to organizations, and to provide intellectual freedom education. For more information on the Krug Fund, or to make a donation to support its work, please visit www.ftrf.org/?Krug_Fund.

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Illinois (http://www.lis.illinois.edu) is the premier LIS program in the nation, consistently ranked number one by U.S. News and World Report. We offer advanced degrees with areas of specialization including data curation, digital libraries, social and community informatics, socio-technical data analytics, and youth services as well as continuing professional development opportunities. Courses are available both on campus and online.