ALSC Awards, Grants and Scholarships

This year the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is giving away $82,000 in professional awards, grants and scholarships.  From creative summer reading programs to author/illustrator visits, we want to help organizations and individuals create a better future for children through libraries.

Applications for awards and grants are now available online on the ALSC Web site at www.ala.org/alsc; applications for scholarships will be posted on the ALSC Web site in the near future.  All applications are due December 1, 2008, except for The Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship and the Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship, which are due March 1, 2009.

Below is a complete listing of ALSC's professional awards, grants and scholarships.  Please share this information with colleagues, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know.  Respond to this e-mail if you would like award information sent to you as a .pdf.  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Jenny Najduch
ALSC Marketing Specialist
(312) 280-4026


Awards include:
* Bookapalooza!  Each year the ALSC office receives almost 3,000 newly published books, videos, audiobooks and recordings from children's trade publishers for award and notables consideration.  At the end of the year, after the awards have been given out, ALSC selects three libraries to receive a Bookapalooza collection of these materials (estimated to be worth $10,000 each) to be used in a way that creatively enhances their library service to children and families.

* The Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship provides financial assistance in the form of $6,000 scholarships to two students who intend to pursue an MLS degree and who plan to work in children's librarianship in any type of library.

* The Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship provides financial assistance in the form of four $6,500 awards to students who intend to pursue an MLS or advanced degree and plan to work in the area of library service to children in any type of library.  The scholarship is made possible through the generous contributions of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Incorporated.

* Louise Seamen Bechtel Fellowship provides a $4,000 stipend to allow a qualified children's librarian to spend a month or more reading at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature, which contains a special collection of 85,000 volumes of children's literature published mostly before 1950..

* ALSC/BWI Summer Reading Grant provides $3,000 in financial assistance to a public library for developing outstanding summer reading programs for children.

* ALSC Distinguished Service Award honors an individual member who has made significant contributions to and an impact on, library services to children and ALSC.  The recipient receives $1,000 and an engraved pin at the ALSC Membership Meeting during the ALA Annual Conference.

* The Penguin Young Readers Group Award provides a $600 stipend, provided by Penguin Young Reader's Group, for winners to attend their first ALA Annual Conference.  Applicants must have less than 10 years of experience as a children's librarian and work directly with children.

* The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award was established with funding from Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, in honor of Maureen Hayes, to bring together children and nationally recognized authors/illustrators.  This award provides $4,000 to fund an author/illustrator visit to a library.