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Florida Library Association Scholarships

The Florida Library Association (FLA) Awards & Honors Committee is pleased to announce that the application period for the 2025 FLA Scholarships will open Sunday, December 1, 2024. The scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2025, and scholarship recipients will be recognized at the 2025 Annual Conference at the Hilton Doubletree SeaWorld Orlando on Friday, May 16.

Available Scholarships:

Three (3) FLA Library & Information Science graduate scholarships (At least $1,000 each):

o      The Florida State University MSLIS graduate program scholarship

o      The Bernadette Storck University of South Florida scholarship

o      Minority scholarship for MLS graduate students attending either school*

*To qualify for a Minority Scholarship, the candidate must belong to one of the following racial or ethnic groups: Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African, or American Indian/Alaska Native.

If qualified, applicants may apply for the Minority Scholarship in addition to the scholarship designated for their graduate school.

Eligibility Requirements

Individuals who are graduating in May 2025 are not eligible due to the fact that payment is made to the graduate school for the following semester.
To apply, all scholarship recipients must meet the following requirements:
  • Be a Florida resident
  • Have a current active membership in the FLA
    • Applicants must include verification of membership as part of the application packet. For proof of membership, contact FLA at [email protected].
  • Have some work or volunteer experience in a Florida library
  • Have received admittance to the FSU or USF library/information graduate degree program
If awarded a scholarship, applicant must agree to the following requirements:
  • Commit to work in a Florida library for a minimum of one year after graduation
  • Commit to serving on an FLA committee during the year following graduation 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to Apply

Deadline for submission of the application packet is FRIDAY,  JANUARY 31, 2025.

Applications received by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, January 23, 2025, will be permitted to make corrections to the application package should deficiencies or omissions be identified by the Scholarship Subcommittee. Applicants submitting after January 23 will not have the privilege of making corrections or supplementing the application with missing information.

Complete application packets should be submitted online.  All supporting documents must be uploaded as individual PDF attachments to the online form.

Paper submissions will not be accepted.

Essays

There are two essay questions as part of the application. Each should be answered individually and be 300-500 words in length. You will be able to type/paste them into the application OR upload them as PDF attachments to the application.

  • Why are you entering librarianship?

  • What are your career goals with respect to Florida libraries?

Letters of Recommendation

Submit three professional recommendations. These may be from a present or past supervisor, colleague, professor, or another person who can speak to your professional abilities. Each letter must be signed by the recommender. Letters should address all of the following points:

  • Length of time they have known you

  • Capacity in which they have known you (i.e., supervisor, co-worker)

  • Their assessment of your potential as a library professional

  • Your potential to graduate from the library/information graduate program

Additional Required Documents

  • Current resume

  • Proof of enrollment (Letter of acceptance or current transcript)

  • Proof of current FLA membership (For proof of membership contact [email protected])

Please direct questions regarding the application process, to Ken Frankel, FLA Scholarships Subcommittee Chair, [email protected]

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