Career Development Fellowship Program, USA

Last updated Nov 4, 2015

Career Development Fellowship Program, USA

This early career development fellowship program provides early career development and continuing education for library and information science professionals from countries with developing economies. Up to five individuals are selected each year for participation in this intensive four-week Fellowship Program based at OCLC’s headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, USA. Fellows visit selected libraries and cultural heritage institutions, meet with leading information professionals and observe OCLC’s governance structure in action. The application deadline is February 12, 2016.

Subject Offered: Fellowship is awarded in library and information science. Topics and issues include information technologies and their impact on libraries, library operations and management, and global cooperative librarianship.
Degree Level: This is a intensive four-week Fellowship program based at OCLC’s headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, USA for library and information science professionals.
Participating Institution(s): International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and OCLC

Eligibility: Promising library and information science professionals who are in early stages of career development and who meet all of the qualifications are encouraged to apply. Applicants must:

Be employed in a library or information center.
Have a qualifying degree in library or information science. The qualifying degree may vary depending upon country of origin, but should be the general library or information science degree recognized in the country. Normally a PhD is not considered a qualifying degree, because the Fellowship program is targeted for early career librarians.
Have obtained the qualifying degree between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015.
Have at least three years, but no more than eight years, of library or information science experience. For the 2017 program, applicants must have library or information science experience that begins no earlier than January 1, 2008 and no later than January 1, 2013.
Be a legal national from a qualifying country and be working as a librarian or information science professional in that country.
Read and speak English proficiently.
Be prepared to work as a team member with other Fellows and to participate as required in this fast-paced program.
Have a valid passport.
Be able to obtain documentation permitting legal entry into the United States or any other country required for program participation.

Eligible Nationalities: Students from Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize ,Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Democratic People’s Public of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe can apply for this Early Career Development fellowship.

Scholarship Benefit: The award provides the following for each Fellow:

Airfare, coach class, from the recipient’s home country to the United States and return trip to the recipient’s home country (transportation to and from the airport in the recipient’s home country is the responsibility of the award recipient). Note: All travel arrangements must be made through OCLC’s travel agency.
Transportation related to library visits (arranged by OCLC).
Lodging (arranged by OCLC).
Subsistence, including meals.
Medical insurance (arranged by OCLC).

Notification: A specially appointed Selection Committee, comprised of representatives from the sponsoring organizations, will evaluate and score the applications and propose award winners to the Program Director, Education and Professional Development, OCLC, who shall have final selection authority. Award recipients will be contacted via email in July 2016 to confirm their participation. Award recipients will be announced at the World Library and Information Congress: 82nd IFLA General Conference and Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, August 2016. Names of award recipients will be posted on the OCLC website after the announcement is made at the IFLA General Conference.

Application Procedure for Career Development Fellowship Program, USA

Application Procedure: For consideration, qualified applicants must prepare and submit an application, including an electronic copy of their qualifying library or information science degree diploma. The application must follow the content outline and format described in the document “2017 Application.” The completed application, including diploma copy, PLUS two letters of recommendation must be received by OCLC no later than February 12, 2016. The application and letters of recommendation must be in English.

Application Form

Deadline: The application deadline is February 12, 2016.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application

More about Career Development Fellowship Program, USA

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, IFLA was founded in Scotland in 1927 and maintains headquarters at the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague. IFLA sponsors the annual World Library and Information Congress, promoting universal and equitable access to information, ideas, and works of imagination for social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic empowerment.