Tag Archives: scholarships

Advocacy

Advocacy Alchemy: What’s possible in your library???

You know that we love your library just as it is. We love to visit member libraries, and to ooooh and aaaaaahhhh over the things you are doing!!!

And it’s good to keep moving things forward, to shake things up a little bit, to try some new things, offer new materials. Your community will keep changing around you, and we all need to work to keep up.

Yeah,  I know. I’m kind of a little old lady – it’s increasingly a challenge to keep up with those whippersnappers today. But totally worth the effort!!!

Libraries pretty much do three things: materials, programs, and services. All libraries, all archives – we all do have these things. It’s the way you implement it that makes you special!

You don’t have to do everything.

You don’t have to follow every single new trend.

You don’t even have to get it all right!

But you do have to try, and you do have to keep evolving and trying new things.

It’s hard, it can be scary. And especially when you are alone in your library, as many of our members are, it may seem a little overwhelming.

(We offer here a virtual pat of Official Office Dog Lady Grey. It’s very reassuring in times of library stress – I promise!)

CMLE is here to help our members with this! We will be happy (So Very Happy!!!) to come to your library, chat about issues, help with planning and policies, attend meetings with you as a backup person – whatever you might need.

And we want to give you money!!!

Okay, not tons of money. BUT!!! Some money!!

(If you follow us on Twitter – and you should! – you have heard me losing my mind and screaming about this!!! Twitter is worth reading, even if just to follow the possibility that I’m actually going to lose it, drive to your library, and throw money at you – as I’ve been threatening to do! #WorthIt #Possibilities)

We offer up to $300 in scholarship money. You can use this to attend conferences, sign up for webinars, get a sub to fill your hours – pretty much whatever you need to make some good progress happen. Find it all right here.

We also offer up to $300 in mini-grant money!! This was a new category last year, and it’s been so cool to read about all the things people are trying! While this is not a huge sum, it’s enough to let you buy a new thing, to go in on a bigger purchase with other money, get some new books, bring in a guest speaker, or pretty much anything else you can dream up!

(Members, come closer. I want to tell you a secret. If you just fill out the application and send it in, if you are at all in the ballpark I’m going to approve it. I’m going to give you money if you ask for it.)

(Note: it’s totally okay to pass this secret around to your friends, colleagues, people you happen to pass on a sidewalk – whoever!)

This past year, we spent way more on these budget categories than ever before – and I was so happy!!!!

Literally, at our annual audit this year the auditor thought I had messed up the budget chart – and then sat very patiently while I excitedly bragged about all the amazing things our members did with this money!!!

(He was nice about it – though maybe slightly puzzled by my effervescent joy. Can’t help it – I’m a dedicated library fan!!!)

I would LOVE it if you all worked together to make my job harder in this area!! Spend all the money!! Make me have to give detailed explanations to account for all the money we gave to members!! (I will absolutely bust out some PowerPoint slides and flow charts to share the library-based joy here – don’t think I won’t!!!!)

We have a long weekend, and hopefully everyone is filled with thanks for all sorts of things.

And I hope some of that extends to your library – and the help CMLE can give to you. I’ll be thankful if you take this money; your patrons will be happy if you get cool stuff or do new stuff for them. You will be thankful at annual review time because you can talk about how awesomely you are succeeding at your job by reaching out to your library system and to your community!

Whew!

That’s a lot of thankfulness!

So, remember: make our jobs here harder. Angie does the paperwork for these applications, and as much as I value all her hard work – I’ll be thankful to overwhelm her with more applications! I’ll also be thankful for the opportunity to tell EVERYONE about the work you are doing. It doesn’t have to be big, flashing, amazing – just try something new. Buy something new. Take a chance.

We’re here for you.

Let’s go do some neat things together!!!

CMLE, Conference

Need a scholarship for ITEM or MLA?

During this busy fall season, don’t forget that there are some excellent library conferences approaching! And CMLE has scholarships available to help with some of the cost of attendance! Read more about our scholarships on our page. New this year is the ability to apply for up to $300 worth of scholarships to help cover your expenses!

The Minnesota Library Association has their annual conference coming up on Oct. 5-6th in Rochester. The theme this year is Radical Librarianship which they describe as “the power of libraries to provide access to the truth, strengthen our community voices, create opportunity for exploration and innovation, and assist our patrons to build a better future.” Learn more about the conference and register here.

The Information and Technology Educators of Minnesota (ITEM) also has their fall conference in early October! From October 5-7th in Brooklyn Park learn how to be “Future Ready for the 21st Century!” Keynote speakers at the conference will be Duchess Harris on Friday morning and Kelly Barnhill on Saturday morning. Access the schedule and register here.

Plus, if you make it to either conference you can connect with Mary (who will be at MLA) or Angie (who will be at ITEM) and we would love to see you there! Let us know if you’ll be there and would like to get together!

And don’t be shy – apply for a scholarship! We really do want to assist our members in their continuing education and professional networking, and attending conferences can be a great start! Apply today!

Communication

ALA awards 60 Spectrum Scholarships for 2017-2018

Contact:

Gwendolyn Prellwitz
Assistant Director
Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services
(312)280-5048
gprellwitz@ala.org

CHICAGO — Today, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services awards 2017-2018 Spectrum Scholarships to 60 exceptional students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies.  Since 1997, the ALA has awarded more than 1000 Spectrum Scholarships.  In the 2017 application cycle, the Spectrum Scholarship Program received three times as many applications as there were available scholarships, and the majority of this year’s applicants were deemed highly fundable.  A prestigious committee of nine jurors selected this year’s Spectrum Scholars based on their commitment to diversity, commitment to entering the library profession, demonstrated community outreach, academic ability and achievements and leadership potential.

The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA.  Through Spectrum, the American Library Association affirms its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion by seeking the broadest participation of new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians to position ALA to provide leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services. To learn more about the Spectrum Scholarship Program, please contact the Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5048 or visit www.ala.org/spectrum. The application period for 2018-2019 Spectrum Scholarships will open in September 2017.

Continue reading ALA awards 60 Spectrum Scholarships for 2017-2018 →

Academic, CMLE, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

We want to give you money!!

Exchange Money Conversion to Foreign CurrencyYou heard that right! Here in January, with the Monthly Topic of Grants, we want to be sure you are able to explore all your options.

We all know that working in a library is a fast-paced, ever-changing, and exciting job! It does not matter what you are doing there, libraries are there to serve their communities and patrons and that takes all kinds of service and skills that most people would not suspect.

Keeping on top of all the new services, materials, and possibilities available in a library is hard; but CMLE wants to help you in your own professional development!

We have scholarship money available to all our members, no matter where you work and what you are doing in your library. When you find a class, a seminar, a conference, or any other kind of professional opportunity – apply to us for money! We can help you defray up to $200 in costs of your event, so be sure you take advantage of this money. Continue reading We want to give you money!! →