Music Library Association--Southeast Chapter

Applications are now being accepted for a travel grant, funded principally through the generosity of the national Music Library Association (MLA), which has awarded the Southeast Chapter $500 for this purpose. The grant supports travel, meeting registration, hotel and subsistence expenses to attend SEMLA’s annual meeting at Furman University in Greenville, SC, November 1-3, 2001. Please note that music library paraprofessionals/support professionals and library school students are among those eligible for this opportunity and are encouraged to apply.

The grant may be up to $500 for one individual or be divided among up to three individuals. If more than one applicant is successful, additional funding beyond the amount awarded by MLA may be available from SEMLA, up to a maximum of $250, which amount may also be divided among two or three applicants depending on the justifications provided in the applications (see II, below). Please note that the SEMLA Board may choose to award less than $500 total, with any excess being retained by SEMLA for another, similar chapter project.

I. Applicants must reside in one of the states or territories comprising SEMLA (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Puerto Rico), and also be in at least one of the following eligible categories:

a) A graduate library school student (by the time of the conference in November, 2001) aspiring to become a music librarian;

b) A recent graduate (within one year of degree) of a graduate program in librarianship who is seeking a professional position as a music librarian;

c) A music librarian (holding a Master of Library Science degree or qualifications granting an equivalent status at her/his employing institution, e.g. a certified archivist with other graduate degree working extensively with music materials) in the first two years of her/his professional career, or;

d) A library paraprofessional/support professional working with music materials as a significant portion of his/her job responsibilities.

Applicants in categories a-c must not have attended more than one prior SEMLA meeting before applying for the grant. This restriction does not apply to paraprofessionals/support professionals.

Grant recipients will be required to sign an affidavit stating that they meet all the qualifications outlined in this announcement, including SEMLA membership (see IV, below).

II. Applicants must submit the following to arrive by September 24, 2001:

1. A letter of application which includes an explanation of the reasons for attending the SEMLA annual meeting, a justification of financial need, and a budget (the double room rate in Greenville, SC is $69 plus tax). For those applicants currently working in libraries or archives, justification of financial need must include evidence that one has sought financial support from one’s employing institution to attend the meeting and that such request was either denied or insufficiently met;

2. A current résumé or vita;

3. Two letters of support. Where applicable, one of the letters should be from a current supervisor.

Hotel accommodations will be funded at the double-occupancy rate, i.e. one-half of the $69 plus tax mentioned in 1, preceding.

III. Mail application and supporting materials to arrive by September 24, 2001 to:

Sarah Dorsey
Chair, SEMLA Travel Grant Committee
320 S. Mendenhall St., Apt. A
Greensboro, NC 27403-2543

If you have questions regarding the grant or the application process, please contact Sarah via e-mail at sarah_dorsey@uncg.edu, or by phone at (336) 334-5771.

IV. Recipients will be notified by October 8, 2001, and announced on SEMLA-L, the chapter’s electronic discussion list immediately thereafter. Recipients who are not already members of SEMLA are expected to join before receiving their award. An application form is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.selu.edu/orgs/SEMLA/app.html.

Annual student membership in SEMLA is currently only $2.00; a regular membership is $5.00.

Please note that SEMLA may elect to pay directly for travel and hotel expenses on the recipient’s behalf and only supply the balance (if any) of an award following the Greenville meeting. If mileage for a personal vehicle is awarded, it will be paid at the current IRS rate of $0.325 per mile, also after the meeting.

This opportunity may or may not be repeated in future years, depending on funding. SEMLA is extremely grateful for the support of this year’s endeavor by MLA. It is our hope that this support of chapter members who are beginning their careers or whose abilities to travel to meetings are compromised by lack of institutional funding or other circumstances will assist MLA in meeting the ongoing recruitment and continuing education objectives outlined in MLA’s Plan 2001.

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