eastern new york acrl chapter

Policies and Procedures for the Janice Graham Newkirk Scholarship for Library and Information Science Education

Purpose:

ENY/ACRL has established a scholarship fund, in memory of Janice Graham Newkirk, a librarian at the University at Albany, and former Membership Committee Chair of ENY/ACRL. The scholarship provides financial assistance to worthy students pursuing a Masters Degree in Library Science. Scholarships will be awarded to students attending either the Department of Information Studies, at the University at Albany, or Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. Applicants must be engaged in a Library Science track in their respective master’s program. Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in academic librarianship.

Eligibility:

An applicant must:

1. Be a currently enrolled student in either the Department of Information Science, University at Albany, or, the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University.

2. Have completed a minimum of 12 credits, with a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Funding:

The financial support for this scholarship program comes from a special account the Association holds, named for Janice Graham Newkirk. Individual scholarships will be awarded in amounts ranging from $2000-$3000 per recipient.

Criteria:

Scholarships will be awarded on the following basis:

  1. Student application essay of 300-500 words, stating your vision of the future of academic librarianship and their role in that future. (Applicants pursuing careers in other types of libraries should address the future role of that type of library.)
  2. Faculty nomination letter plus one additional nomination letter,
  3. Student grade point average
  4. Student activities (professional association activities, honors)

Procedures:

  1. The Award Committee sends information about the scholarship to the University at Albany and Syracuse University, no later than February 1 each year. Information will be distributed both in-print and via email. The packets will include: a cover letter explaining the scholarship program; detailed procedures, and the application form.
  2. Candidates send their completed applications to the Award Committee, by the Deadline of March 15.
  3. The Award Committee selects 1-2 recipients of the scholarship by April 10 and notifies the ENY/ACRL Board of recommendation, no later than April 15.
  4. Award winners are notified by the Association President by April 20 and information about the scholarship winners is sent to C & RL News, as well as to the Deans of the Schools. Letters are sent to other applicants thanking them for applying for the award.
  5. Scholarships funds are distributed to the winners at the Spring conference of ENY/ACRL (generally held in May). Scholarship winners will receive an invitation to attend the conference at no cost, and are encouraged to attend the conference to receive their scholarship award.

Printable application for the Janice Graham Newkirk Scholarship for Library and Information Science Education is online at http://www.enyacrl.org/newkirk_application.php

List of past recipients and their reports is online at http://www.enyacrl.org/newkirk_reports.php