School Library Grants

Librarians are information specialists. Most librarians are well-educated professionals. Consequently, colleges and institutions have sophisticated departments strictly devoted to library technicians. Our current day society is obsessed with information. Massive amounts of information are thrown at us every minute of the day. Thus, the field of library science is important in organizing the copious amounts of information. Library science remains a sparsely populated career. The need for quality, well-educated library technicians opens the door to many School Library Grants. The grants are designed to lure students into the field. Many organizations devote funds to grants, scholarships, and fellowships to prepare the next generation of public librarians.

The federal government is a keen supporter of library science. The Pell and other federal grants are available. Library science students need not stop there; the government also offers other grant awards to help finance the education of the 21st century library technicians. The National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities is one such federal organization that provides School Library Grants.

Colleges and universities with library science departments provide grants, scholarships, and fellowships. One way to find which colleges have library science programs is through the American Library Association. This association has a wealth of information in its databases. One such example is Florida State University. FSU makes monies accessible for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students that wish to pursue a library science degree. FSU is particularly interested in providing School Library Grants to students that want to work in the public sector in libraries that have been under funded. Similarly, the University of Alabama Library and Information Science department offers library college grants to individuals already employed by an Alabama public library. The University of Alabama has in excess of two dozen grants, and awards available to library science students.

Professional organizations give out millions of awards yearly to library science students. The prestigious Smithsonian gives out more than 25 awards specifically geared towards library science and information. These School Library Grants are more abundant in areas that specialize in projects that deal with archiving and organizing different inventories. Some library college grants from the Smithsonian are aimed at projects that focus on database building and management of huge information sources. Two examples of organizations under the Smithsonian ceiling are two well known groups: the Freer Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum. These two highly reputable organizations have a wealth of library science awards.

Female students that are interested in pursuing degrees in library and information science can look at the American Association of University Women. This organization promotes women in all areas. School Library Grants are definitely one of the awards they dole out each year. Another possibility is looking at specific ethnic groups as sources of grants. One organization, the Association of Jewish Libraries, issues grants to students that plan to work in Judaic Libraries and Judaic Information Science.

Surprisingly, library science does have many grants, fellowships, and scholarships to offer. It is important for a student to do research to find the awards that are available. Library science is often a neglected field; this issue makes it even more necessary for the government, colleges, and professional organizations to offer awards to help encourage more students to pursue this field.