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GEORGE ATIYEH PRIZE for Travel to the 2015 Annual Meetings of the Middle East Librarians Association and the Middle East Studies Association of North America

The Middle East Librarians Association (MELA) announces competition for the George Atiyeh Prize for financial aid in attending this year’s annual meetings of MELA 19-21 November 2015 and of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) 21-24 November 2015. The MELA conference this year is being held in Denver, CO at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel, Denver.

Awardees will receive a cash award of $250.00 and will have their registration fees for both MELA and MESA paid.  

Awardees agree to attend the entirety of both the MELA and MESA conferences, to allow their names and photographs to be used in any publicity by MELA or other organizations contacted by MELA, and to write a report on their conference experience to be published in MELA Notes, the official journal of MELA.

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an ALA‑accredited library/information science program. 

Please submit the following information no later than 18 September, 2015 via e‑mail to at least one of the George Atiyeh Prize Committee members listed at the end of this announcement:

  1. Name, postal address, phone number, e‑mail address, and name of program in which currently enrolled
  2. Current resume or C.V.
  3. Personal Statement of maximum two (2) pages that includes the following:
    • Description of your academic, work‑related or other background in Middle East studies and/or librarianship
    • Statement of your career goals, including a description of your current course of study
    • Statement of why you wish to attend these meetings
  4. Names, postal addresses, phone numbers and e‑mail addresses of two references

Applicants will be notified of Prize awards no later than 25 September, 2015 to allow ample time for pre‑registration for MESA.

The George Atiyeh Prize was founded by the Middle East Librarians Association in 1999 to honor George N. Atiyeh, retired Head of the Near East Section of the Library Congress, founding member of MELA and of the Middle East Microform Project, for his many contributions to Middle East librarianship and scholarship.  Dr. Atiyeh is the first and only honorary life member of MELA. 

To submit applications, or for further information, please contact one of the following persons:

Sean E. Swanick (Chair)

Islamic Studies Library

McGill University

Morrice Hall

3485 McTavish Street

Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y1

[email protected]  

Laila Moustafa

Middle East and North Africa

Studies Librarian

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

[email protected]

Anna Robinson

Islamic Studies Librarian

Washington University in St. Louis

One Brookings Drive

St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

[email protected]