Nominations must show evidence of hardship, “including economic difficulties or natural disasters, and must demonstrate successful partnership(s) that work to overcome the hardship.” Partners can include local schools, businesses, museums, and other community organizations. The award will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference in June in Washington, DC.

LIS Student Scholarship for ALA Annual

The scholarship—which aims to advance the principles of intellectual freedom and mentorship— provides money for conference registration, transportation, and housing for six nights, along with a $300 stipend for food and expenses. The recipient is expected to attend FTRF and other intellectual freedom meetings and events at the conference, consult with a mentor/board member, and provide a report about their experiences. The recipient will also receive a one-year FTRF membership and will be invited, although not required, to provide daily updates about his or her experience on the Freedom to Read Foundation blog.

Applications are due by March 29. The scholarship winner will be announced by April 15.

YALSA Seeks ALA Liaison

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is looking for a member to serve a one-year term as a liaison to ALA committees. The role of YALSA’s ALA Liaison is to strengthen the relationship and better communication between YALSA and ALA by sharing information between groups and representing YALSA’s interests to ALA. This position would work ALA virtually and in person at ALA’s 2020 Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference. Candidates must be YALSA members and able to attend both the 2020 ALA Midwinter and 2020 Annual Conference. Up to $1,000 in funds total will be provided to defray the cost of attending the conferences. The term of the Liaison’s appointment is July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. Applications are due by April 1.

PLA Call For Proposals

The Public Library Association (PLA) has put out a Call for Proposals for educational sessions at its next biennial conference, which is Feb. 25-29, 2020, in Nashville. The PLA 2020 Conference will “highlight innovative work and ideas that address the core challenges facing public libraries and their communities.” PLA is especially interested in proposals and speakers representing diverse perspectives, with a commitment to representation of historically marginalized groups. Most programs will be 60-minute sessions formatted as a panel discussion, case study presentation, peer-to-peer dialogue, or skill-building workshop. Proposals must be submitted by 11: 59 p.m. ET on Friday April 26.

Stronger Than Hate Challenge

Discovery Education and the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation have created the Stronger Than Hate Challenge, as part of their Teaching with Testimony partnership. Teaching with Testimony is an educational program that uses USC Shoah Foundation's library of audiovisual testimony from survivors and witnesses of genocides and aims to empower students to find their voices and take action. The Stronger than Hate Challenge, which aligns with national education standards, is open to students 13 and older and can be entered by individuals or groups of two to four students. Participants will listen to testimonies of historical and modern stories of hate, investigate to learn if these are occurring in their school or community, and then develop and enact a plan to counter that hate. Finally, the individual or group will create a video essay telling the story of how they “made their community and our world a better place.” Student awards range from $500–$5,000. There are teacher awards of $1,000 and school awards of $2,500. Application deadline is May 6.

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