ARL is now accepting applications for the ARL/Music Library Association (MLA) Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (DII). This scholarship program, funded by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and by ARL and MLA, offers minority candidates an opportunity to pursue the master’s degree in library and information science (MLIS) while gaining valuable “hands-on” experience in a major music library. The initiative’s goal is to increase the number of underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities within music librarianship by providing support for master’s-level LIS education and the practical experience critical for successful entrance into the profession.

Students who have applied to or who are enrolled in an MLIS program with a concentration, certificate, or courses in music librarianship are eligible to apply for the ARL/MLA DII. ARL will accept applications on a rolling basis.

Program Benefits

The ARL/MLA DII fellowship offers a generous compensation package for each program participant consisting of:

• Tuition stipend of up to $10,000 to be distributed over two years, in installments of $2,500 per semester.
• Paid internship in a partner music/performing arts library for a period not to exceed one calendar year. Internship sites at partner libraries will be determined by the applicant pool and by the capacity of potential partners to develop and manage the internships.
• Financial assistance for relocation to the area of the MLIS program into which the participant has been accepted.
• Paid student membership in MLA for one year.
• Support for travel to and attendance at an MLA Annual Meeting.

In addition to financial support, the ARL/MLA DII fellowship will provide each program participant with:

• Mentoring by a library/information professional employed in the partner library. Mentors will participate in formal training provided by ARL consultants.
• The opportunity to network with first-time MLA attendees and MLA officers and luminaries at special programs at the Annual Meeting.
• Career placement guidance and assistance provided by the MLA placement officer, programs at the MLA Annual Meeting, and other career resources and services available through the MLA and ARL websites.

Impact on One Fellow’s Career

Former DII fellow, Jonathan Sauceda, offers his reflections about how the program helped him advance his career in several ways. Sauceda notes, “[The DII] gave me the opportunity to work on several projects at the University of North Texas, which has one of the largest music libraries in the world. This helped give me the experience and qualifications I needed to make me competitive in the job market.” Sauceda also observes that the conversations in which he engaged at the MLA Annual Meeting—a trip supported by the DII—encouraged him to apply for positions that he may not have previously considered.

A two-minute video by Jonathan with additional reflections on his experience can be found on the ARL website:

http://www.arl.org/news/arl-news/3190-arl-music-library-association-diversity-and-inclusion-initiative-call-for-applications#.Uzw6CFwWbbw

The MIRIAM BRAVERMAN MEMORIAL PRIZE, a presentation of the Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG), is awarded each year for the best paper about some aspect of the social responsibilities of librarians, libraries, or librarianship. Papers related to archivists, archives, and archival work are also eligible.

The winning paper will be published in the Summer 2014 issue of Progressive Librarian. The winner of the contest will also receive a $500 stipend to help offset the cost of travel to and from the 2014 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV from June 26 – July1. The award will be presented at the annual PLG dinner at ALA. In addition, the winner will be provided a press pass for the conference, allowing for free entry to sessions and the exhibition floor, with the expectation that they will write a short reflection regarding the conference for publication by PLG.

Think you might be interested? Here’s the fine print.
1. Contestants must be Library and/or Information Science students attending a graduatelevel program in the United States or Canada. Contestants may not have finished their coursework earlier than December 2013.
2. Entries must be the original, unpublished work of the contestant, and must be written in English. Entries may not exceed 3,000 words and must conform to MLA intext citation style.
3. To facilitate the blind review process, each entry must include a cover sheet providing the contestant’s name, full contact information (address, phone number, email address), name of the institution where the contestant is enrolled, and the title of the paper. No identifying information other than the title should appear on the paper itself.
4. Entries must be submitted electronically, in Microsoft Word or RTF format, to bravermansubmissions@gmail.com. Entries must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on International Workers’ Day or May Day, Thursday, May 1, 2014.
5. The $500 stipend is available only to help defray the cost of ALA conference attendance in 2013; if the winner of the contest is unable to attend, the money will remain in the Braverman Prize endowment fund. The winner will still be offered publication in Progressive Librarian.

Any questions regarding the contest or the selection process can be directed to the chairs of the selection committee, Megan Browndorf at margaret.a.browndorf@gmail.com or Kelly McElroy at kellymce@gmail.com. More information about Miriam Braverman and about the Progressive
Librarians Guild, including winning papers from previous years, is available at http://progressivelibrariansguild.org/content/award.shtml.