Call for Applicants: ACRL/NY 2026 Symposium Scholarships
ACRL/NY is now accepting applications for scholarships to attend our 2026 Symposium
"Staying Present In Times of Crisis and Possibility: Showing Up For Our Communities"
The ACRL/NY 2026 Annual Symposium
Academic libraries face deep uncertainty about the future of our institutions and our communities. Censorship, budget cuts, privatization, extraction of public resources, immigration policies, racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+ and working class policies are just some of what we have to continually face. As bell hooks reminds us in Teaching to Transgress, “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” The same can be said about libraries and why they continually have a target on them.
This year's symposium theme centers on the word "present" and its multiple meanings. We invite participants to examine the present moment; the immediate circumstances and context shaping our work. What does it mean to stay present in a time of rapid and alarming change? How do we remain grounded and intentional rather than overwhelmed by chaos?
Presented annually by the New York Metropolitan Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries, this year’s event will take place Friday, December 4, 2026, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM at Fordham University – Lincoln Center Campus
Scholarship awardees will receive:
- A waiver of registration fees for the ACRL/NY 2026 Annual Symposium
- A free 1-year membership to ACRL/NY (benefits include Mentoring Program, discussion group events, and professional development opportunities)
- A copy of the book, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks
- A $75 gift certificate for the Strand Book Store, to be redeemed online or in-person
If you are interested, please note that ACRL/NY offers three scholarship programs.
Student Scholarship – For students currently enrolled in graduate degree programs in library/information science who are considering a career in academic librarianship (three awardees). TO APPLY: fill out this student scholarship form
Early Career Librarian Scholarship – For an academic librarian who has been practicing less than five years following receipt of a master’s degree in library/information science (one awardee). TO APPLY: fill out this early career librarian scholarship form
The Dr. Barbara Bonous-Smit Scholarship – For an academic librarian who has been in practice at least five years following receipt of a master’s degree in library/information science (one awardee). TO APPLY: fill out this Dr. Barbara Bonous-Smit scholarship form
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Scholarship recipients are expected to produce a short article on their impressions of the Symposium for the ACRL/NY blog (guidelines to be provided).
Application submission deadline: Monday, November 9, 2026 at Midnight
Scholarship recipients will be notified by Monday, November 16, 2026
Questions? Contact us at scholarships@acrlny.org
For further information about the symposium, check out our website.
We look forward to your submission.