General information * Federal aid * Scholarships * NJLA * NJASL * BCCLS Scholarship * Middletown Public Library * Beta Phi Mu * REFORMA * Become a Librarian * Patricia Reeling Emergency Loan Fund
The SC&I catalog provides basic information about Rutgers scholarships and loans. There is a brochure on Graduate Financial Aid at Rutgers, usually available in the office in Room 214. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid and Renewal application forms (FAFSA)can be downloaded from http://studentaid.rutgers.edu. To be eligible for work-study jobs, you must fill out this form. For information about jobs, see the section on "Developing Your Career." For information on salaries in NJ libraries, see NJLA guidelines at http://www.njla.org/resources/personnel.html
Students may also receive federal aid. Refer to the Federal Student Aid Web site for more information.
Sallie Mae offers loans for graduate degrees and continuing education under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP):
http://www.salliemae.com/apply/borrowing/career_training.html
You might be able to receive one of the nationally available scholarships described on the American Library association (ALA) website for a future semester if you start planning early. See the 2009-2010 Financial Assistance Booklet or go to http://ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/scholarships/index.cfm for more information . Application deadlines vary considerably, and therefore it is wise to explore the possibilities now.
A couple of scholarships that may not have made it into the ALA compilation have been recently announced:
New ALA scholarship in new media -- The Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media will be offered with the support of SAGE Publications. The scholarship was created in memory of Peter Lyman, former university librarian and professor emeritus of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. The scholarship will support a student in an ALA-accredited masters program in Library and Information Studies pursuing a specialty in new media. The recipient will receive a $2,500 scholarship as well as a travel stipend to attend the ALA Midwinter Meeting
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is soliciting applications for the A. R. Zipf Fellowship in Information Management or 2009. The fellowship is awarded annually to a student currently enrolled in the early stages of graduate school who shows exceptional promise for leadership and technical achievement in information management. The amount of the award is $10,000, and applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. For applications and additional information, please go to http://www.clir.org/fellowships/zipf/zipf.html.
For fall Rutgers scholarship awards, the application cutoff date is February 1. Students who need assistance for the spring semester should apply by September 15. Generally, financial aid is not available for summer school. Recently a generous alumnus has endowed a scholarship fund earmarked for graduate study in librarianship, so do not hesitate to apply for aid should the need arise, even if you have missed a deadline. Consult the MLIS Program Director (Dr. Cassell) and chair of Admissions and Scholarships. Students who have filed the federal FAFSA form will are more likely to receive assistance.
For announcements about scholarships and related matters, watch the third floor LIS bulletin board, the LISSA listserv, and the document distribution racks in and outside Room 214. New announcements ones appear with some regularity! A few representative non-ALA scholarships are described below.
Several scholarships are offered for study leading to a graduate or post graduate degree in librarianship; see http://www.njla.org/honorsawards/scholarship/scholarshipawards.html. Awards are based on an evaluation of credentials and personal interviews with candidates.
Requirements: Applicants must be legal residents of New Jersey at the time of application; scholarships are to be used only for tuition during the academic year for which they are awarded; applicants must demonstrate financial need; applicants must demonstrate academic ability through submission of transcripts; applicants agree to be available for an interview. Applications are due mid-February.
Three $750 Al Saley Memorial Scholarships are awarded to experienced educational media specialists or to pre-professionals for graduate study in the field of educational media; see http://njasl.org.
Requirements: Applicants may be currently employed in a school library/media center, or may be teachers or recent college graduates who wish to enter the educational media field. Applicants must document previous education, pertinent publications and/productions and volunteer work. They must submit a statement of achievements and goals, and recommendations from two professional educators. The scholarships must be used within one year. Application deadline is usually the end of March.
The Bergen County Cooperative Library System Scholarship initiative annually honors library school students with financial assistance to pursue their Master of Library and Information Science degree. BCCLS is a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation and 100% of all money donated to the Scholarship Fund is used solely for students' tuition. To date, BCCLS has awarded 49 scholarships totaling $42,750.
Requirements: Applicants must must be enrolled in an ALA accredited library school at the time interviews are conducted and preference is given to those working at BCCLS libraries. Successful applicants must agree to work in a public library for two years after completion of the degree. The process is competitive and applications are available on the BCCLS website early each year with interviews usually held in late March/early April and awards given in May.
The Board of Trustees awards the Conover-Wihtol Scholarship for no less than $500. First consideration is given to residents of Middletown Township, but if there are no local qualified applicants, other New Jersey residents will be considered.
Requirements: Applicants must have a bachelor's degree or be in the final semester of undergraduate studies and be admitted to an ALA-accredited LIS graduate program. Application forms available from the library give further information. Deadline is June 30.
Contact: Middletown Township Public Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, NJ 07748.
Beta Phi Mu, the International Library & Information Studies Honor Society, offers four annual scholarships for MLIS students, ranging in award size from $1250 to $2000. The Sarah Rebecca Reed Scholarship is for a beginning student's general studies, while the Blanche E. Woolls is for a student intending on a school librarianship career. The two Harold Lancour Scholarship is to be applied to foreign study, and the Frank B. Sessa Scholarship is for Continuing Professional Education.
Applications for all scholarships and fellowships are accepted beginning November 15. Deadline for receiving all applications is March 15 of each year. The Scholarship Committee meets during May, and the recipients are announced at the annual meeting in June. See http://www.beta-phi-mu.org/Scholarships/scholarships.php for more information.
The National Association to Promote Library Services to the Spanish Speaking awards one or more $1000 scholarships annually to support recruitment of bilingual, bicultural librarians.
Requirements: Applicants should be citizens or permanent residents who are Spanish-speakers; should show evidence of commitment to a career in librarianship and potential for academic achievement; submit REFORMA application form, resume, transcripts, and two recommendations. Deadline - May 15. See http://www.reforma.org.
Compiled by the Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, this site has an extensive list of scholarships available from other groups and organizations, many specific to New Jersey: http://www.becomealibrarian.org/scholarships.htm.
Not to be confused with a scholarship fund, this loan fund is intended to tide students over an unexpected shortfall. Emergencies might arise as a result of an accident, illness, death in the family, etc. Loans are generally modest and must be repaid within a semester. LISSA established the guidelines for the fund, and it is administered by Prof. Varlejs.
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