ALA Spectrum Scholarships

Posted October 7, 2014

The American Library Association is currently accepting applications for the ALA Scholarship Program, which includes over 12 different scholarship opportunities, many of which make multiple annual awards.  For more information visit www.ala.org/scholarships.  The deadline to apply for ALA Scholarships is March 1, 2015.

The American Library Association (ALA) has committed itself to making a Master’s degree in library and information science more accessible and affordable for talented women and men who have made the library profession a career choice. Libraries serve as the foundation of life-long learning in our society – they change lives, build communities and connect individuals at the local level with global resources of information and knowledge. To meet the changing needs of an evolving society, libraries need culturally diverse librarians. This is the goal of the Spectrum Scholarship Program.

Spectrum annually provides 50 or more American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students with a $5,000 tuition scholarship and $1,500 in professional development funds.

Over 880 students from traditionally underrepresented groups have received scholarships, leadership training, professional networking and mentoring in order to build a pool of talented and trained library leaders reflective of the populations served by all libraries.  If you would like to join this extraordinary group and you are committed to serving your community, a Spectrum Scholarship can position you for success.

Did You Know?

• You do not need to be formally enrolled or accepted into library school at the time of your application, you simply need to be enrolled by the Fall semester immediately following your selection for a Spectrum Scholarship.
• Your Spectrum Scholarship can be used at any ALA-accredited graduate program in library and information studies or an ALA/AASL-recognized School Library Media program.
• You need to be enrolled in only two courses per semester while receiving your Spectrum scholarship funds.
• Current students are eligible for Spectrum provided they can complete 2 classes for credit during the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters and do not plan to graduate prior to May 2016.

For full Spectrum eligibility requirements and benefits, visit www.ala.org/spectrum.

Contact us at [email protected] or by calling 1-800-545-2433 ext 5048.

Information on applying to Spectrum, as well as other scholarships available through the American Libraries Association, can be found at www.ala.org/scholarships.

The following items are required for all ALA scholarship applications.

1. Completed online application (which includes a personal statement).
2. Three professional references (only references on the official online form will be accepted).  You will be prompted to indicate your professional references within the online application.
3. Official academic transcripts from institution(s) where you received your bachelors degree. Only official (sealed) copies will be accepted.

All items must be received in the ALA Scholarship Clearinghouse, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611, by March 1 to be considered.