Awards & Scholarships

Professional Development Award

Throughout the year, SCELC awards funding in the form of reimbursements to enable professional development activities for librarians and staff at SCELC member libraries. 

Qualifying Professional Development Activities

The PPDC will award funding for professional development activities, which may include:

• Online Conferences
  • NOTE: Funding opportunities for attending in-person conferences are granted by SCELC's separate Conference Travel Awards.
• Webinars
• Courses/Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
  • For example: Library Juice Academy, which also offers a SCELC 20% discount code available on request from our Library Relations Manager.
• Certifications
• Professional membership fees
• Other (present a case for funding your professional development!)

The PD Award is intended for individual applicants only. If 2+ library workers from the same SCELC library intend to apply for the same PD activity, contact PPDC liaison, Eric Chao, before submitting the application.

Awards will be disbursed as reimbursements. Please see Reimbursement section for more information on SCELC's reimbursement policy for the Professional Development Award.

Awards cannot be used for the purchase of durable equipment (such as laptops or microphones) related to professional development activities.

Criteria for Awards

The following criteria are used by the PPDC to grant awards:

• Applicant is currently employed (including those on furlough) at a SCELC member library. All library staff, excluding student workers, are welcome to apply. Early career librarians, technical staff, and support staff are highly encouraged.
  • Activity needs to be completed while applicant is currently employed at a SCELC member library
• Personal statement that effectively articulates how the applicant and the applicant’s library will benefit from the professional development activity, for example:
  • Description of positive benefit to the applicant's current position and/or future goals
  • Explanation of how the desired activity supports the applicant's professional goals
  • Articulation of practical application of skills and knowledge gained from the desired activity
• Supervisor approval/work release.
• Clearly defined list of expenses is provided in application, including a rationale for any additional expenses. Additional expenses should be directly related to or required to participate in the activity, as well as consumable (books, supplies, et cetera).

PPDC provides two exemplars, drawn from outstanding awards applications in the past few years, to help guide applicants as they draft their proposals. Annotated exemplars are available for reference here.

Applications will reviewed using a rubric designed by the PPDC (see below):

Application Form and Timeline

Submit the application below.

Professional Development Awards are now accepted on a "rolling" basis. Applications are accepted anytime, and will be evaluated on a monthly basis by PPDC and SCELC Staff.  

Applicants will be notified of award decisions by PPDC members or SCELC Staff. Award decisions are at the discretion of SCELC's available budget.

If you have any questions about the application process or your submitted application, please contact PPDC liaison, Eric Chao.

Reimbursement

Receipts are required for reimbursement.

Funding must be applied toward the awarded activity. Requests for reimbursement shall be disbursed during the same fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). SCELC will reimburse awardee directly or the awardee’s library. Reimbursement can only be sent to the account that made the original payment.

As we accept applications on a rolling basis, but review periodically, please be mindful that the reimbursement, if awarded, may occur up to three months after submitting your application.

To submit a reimbursement request, please download and complete the Professional Development Award Reimbursement Form. Email the completed form with accompanying receipts to SCELC. Reimbursements cannot be processed without receipts.