WAML is excited to announce two new scholarships: a Diversity Scholarship and an Early Career Librarian Scholarship to attend the 2017 annual WAML conference. The conference will be held on the campus of the University of Texas, Austin on November 2-4, 2017. Each scholarship includes a stipend of $750 for costs related to the conference (lodging, travel, etc.), a one-year membership in WAML, and free conference registration and banquet ticket. Mentorship is an important component of these scholarships: each recipient will be paired with a mentor for the conference and the following year to help provide support and additional engagement.
Applicants do not need to be current WAML members or have registered for the 2017 conference in order to apply for either scholarship. Applicants may ask to be considered for one or both scholarships, but cannot receive both in the same year. The application deadline is Sunday, September 9, 11:59 PM (PDT). Scholarship applicants will be notified in mid-September.
To apply, please complete this form which asks for basic information, as well as:
- which scholarship(s) you are applying to
- 2 short essay responses
- a current CV or resume
Post-award requirements for scholarship recipients:
- write a brief article for the IB (Information Bulletin) about their experience attending the WAML conference or on some other map or GIS related topic.
The IB is the open-access publication of WAML with the goal of, “encouraging high standards in every phase of organization and administration of map and geospatial data libraries.”
- serve on WAML scholarship committee for one year following award
Please contact Susan Powell (scholarship committee chair) at smpowell@berkeley.edu or (510) 643-2684 with questions about the program or application process.
Diversity Scholarship Description and Eligibility:
The WAML Diversity Scholarship provides an opportunity for library-workers from historically under-represented racial, social, and/or class groups who are interested in map and geospatial librarianship to learn more about the profession, meet colleagues, and add new skills and knowledge. As an organization we believe that it is critical for our profession to reflect on and engage with the cultural and structural biases that are inherent to map and geospatial librarianship, and thus are actively recruiting people who may contribute an alternative perspective and experience. The goals of this scholarship are to increase WAML’s efforts towards being a more inclusive organization and to support the professional development of library-workers from diverse backgrounds.
People engaged in any aspect of libraries, both librarians and non-librarians, are encouraged to apply for the Diversity Scholarship. It is not necessary to already be working in a map, geospatial, or GIS library field. Applicants need not be current WAML members.
Early Career Scholarship Description, Eligibility, and Application Process:
The Early Career Librarian Scholarship is intended to introduce new librarians to the world of Map librarianship and the emerging career of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) librarianship. Map Librarianship has been around for a very long time, and with the rise of GIS software and applications utilized across many disciplines, these skills and services provided have organically become necessary for Map Librarians and newly created positions like GIS Librarians.
The WAML conference provides a great opportunity for students or new librarians to learn, network, and develop themselves and the profession of Map and GIS librarianship. All early-career (first 3 years) academic or research librarians and ML(I)S students (currently enrolled or recently graduated) in the US and Canada are eligible to apply.
To find out more about map and GIS librarianship, here are a couple of articles and resources: