The Academic and Research Libraries Section (ARL), with generous sponsorship by Ex Libris and SAGE, is offering THREE (3) Attendance Grants for the IFLA Congress in Kuala Lumpur 2018 to an information professional from each of these regions:

• Africa
• Latin America
• Asia/Pacific region

What does the Attendance Grant Cover?

Each grant covers the early registration fee of Euro 500 which expires on 15th May 2018. The Attendance Grant will also provide support for travel and/or accommodation of up to Euro 700.

Applicants must be able to attend the Congress and will be responsible for all other costs associated with Congress attendance. Please see the Conference website for further details about the Congress.

What is expected from the grant holders?

The successful candidates will be required to be onsite at the Congress and participate actively for the duration of the Congress.

The winners will also be required to attend the IFLA Awards session to receive their certificates, and also attend the ARL’s Hot Topics session.

They will also be required to take part in various publicity events during the conference, such as photo shoots and events organised at the two sponsors’ exhibition stalls. Their essays may be published on the ARL Section blog before the conference.

Recipients will be required to write a brief article about their Congress experience (approximately 500 words) for publication on the ARL Section blog within 3 months of the end of the Congress.

Eligibility
• The applicant must be a paid-up member of his/her national library association
• The applicant should not have attended the IFLA Congress before
• The applicant must be willing to share their experience at the IFLA Congress with their national library association
• The applicant must be eligible to obtain a visa for travel
• The applicant must declare that she/he is able to fund all other costs beyond the grant that are involved in attending the Congress, e.g. all other hotel, travel and subsistence expenses NOT covered by the Grant
• Those who have previously received this Grant (formerly known as Essay Contest) are not eligible to apply again.

Application Procedures

Your application will include the following:
(A) A covering letter providing:
• your contact details (e.g. name and email address)
• short summary of your employment and/or student status

First-time IFLA attendees, young professionals, students of Library and Information Studies (LIS) and those working in LIS jobs for the first time will have an advantage in the assessment of applications, so make sure you mention this if you belong to one of these categories.

(B) A written statement of up to 500 words, on
• how attending IFLA will benefit you in a personal and/or professional capacity, with
reference to the 2018 theme of the conference;
• how you intend to apply the benefits that you have outlined in a practical way after the Congress, either for you personally or for the library/information unit you work in;
• a budget/cost estimate for travel and hotel up to Euro 700, that would not normally be funded by other grants or your place of work.

(C) A declaration that you are able to fund all other costs beyond the Grant when attending the Congress, and that you are eligible to obtain a visa for travel.

(D) A statement indicating that you have approval from your employer, that if you are a recipient of this Grant, that you have their support to attend the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Submission
Your application must be received by 9 March 2018.
All applications will be acknowledged upon receipt.
All applicants will receive notification of award status no later than 1 May 2018.

Please send your application with your address, telephone number, and email address no later than 9 March 2018, to:
Liz State
Email: lizstate@gmail.com

Please note
Our grant is possible because of the generous sponsorship by Ex Libris and SAGE. Our sponsors want to offer all our grant applicants an opportunity to receive news and announcements of their products and services, and we will be sharing your contact details with them. If you do not wish to have your contact details shared, please indicate your preference in your submission document.