Scholarships

PLAN offers scholarships of up to $1,000 for member library staff. These scholarships can be used for a variety of professional development events such as workshops, webinars, and select conferences. The training must be job-related, but it doesn’t have to be training specifically for libraries.

Request a scholarship

These organizations offer a variety of training opportunities:

You can request a scholarship for the following conferences:

You can also request a scholarship to attend in-person events offered by our colleagues in the other multitype library cooperatives:

Due to grant fund restrictions, we’re unable to award scholarships for continuing education related to any library association. This includes the American Library Association and its state chapters (such as the Florida Library Association), their divisions (such as the Florida Association for Media in Education), and their affiliates.

Important Considerations

Before applying for a scholarship, please note:

  • Libraries with existing professional development budgets should utilize those funds before seeking support from PLAN.
  • Only employees of a PLAN-member library are eligible to apply for scholarships. Both part-time and full-time staff are eligible.
  • If the training is canceled for any reason, please inform us as soon as possible. Please note that we cannot reimburse any expenses if the training is not attended. We recommend making refundable travel arrangements or purchasing travel insurance.
  • Scholarships are awarded to a library, not an individual, and must be used while the recipient is employed at the library.
  • Scholarships can be transferred from one staff member to another at the library director’s request and approval from PLAN.
  • A PLAN-member organization can receive a maximum of five scholarships per fiscal year; training that costs less than $400 does not count towards this maximum. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of PLAN staff depending on available funds and specific training needs.

Application Process

Please submit your scholarship application at least four weeks prior to the event, if possible. Factors that are considered in awarding scholarships include:

  • Availability of funding
  • Suitability of training to support your library
  • Distribution of available scholarship funding among as many PLAN members as possible
Request a scholarship

After the Training:

To receive reimbursement after the training, scholarship recipients simply complete and submit a form. Please note that scholarships are awarded and paid as a lump sum, so there’s no need to submit receipts.

Request reimbursement

Questions?

If you have any questions, please email us.