Youth Services Section | Spring Conference Scholarships

About

The purpose of Spring Conference Scholarships is to encourage continuing education in the field of library youth services by participating in the annual YSS Spring Conference. Two awards are given annually. The first is the New Member Spring Conference Scholarship. It is given to a new member of our profession. The second is the Lisa C. Wemett Spring Conference Scholarship. It is given to a highly motivated established librarian who has had a significant impact on youth and youth services in her/his community.

Each of the scholarships is designed to cover registration fees and up to $250 reimbursement for hotel charges, meals, and transportation costs for attending the Youth Services Section’s Spring Conference. The candidates need to show strong commitment to the field of youth service librarianship or other related careers.

Amount

Up to $250 reimbursement for hotel charges, meals, and transportation costs for attending the Youth Services Section’s Spring Conference.

Application

2025 YSS Conference Scholarship Application (Google Form)

Annual Deadline

February 1 for that year's conference

Contact

For further information or to submit your application materials, please contact the Scholarship Committee chair.

Requirements

An applicant must be a member of NYLA/YSS. She/he may not be an employee or relative of an employee of the New York Library Association; an officer or relative of an officer of the NYLA Council; or an officer or relative of an officer on the Executive Board of the Youth Services Section of NYLA. Financial need will not be a criterion for the award. The requirements for each of the scholarships follow:

For the New Member Spring Conference Scholarship:

The applicant must be a current regular or student member of NYLA/YSS. The applicant may be a graduate library student (full- or part-time) who is matriculated at her/his institution, a practicing librarian or paraprofessional employed in New York State, or involved in a related youth services field (e.g. storytelling, an illustrator, etc.) for less than 10 years.

For the Lisa C. Wemett Spring Conference Scholarship:

The applicant must be a current regular of NYLA/YSS. In addition, the applicant must have at least 10 years of post-graduate experience working in libraries and is currently working in the area of youth services in a public or school library in New York. She/he must be able to demonstrate that she/he has had a significant impact on youth and youth services in her/his community.

For each of the scholarships, the applicant needs to file the following with the YSS scholarship committee chair:

A fully completed application, which is available for downloading or in hard copy.
Two letters of recommendation, which indicate the applicant’s interest in youth services.
Evidence of current membership in NYLA/YSS.

Please note: Applications received after the posted deadline will not be honored. The YSS Scholarship Committee will review all eligible applications, and notify applicants of the final results in writing.