Professional Development Awards
CLRC is happy to provide awards to our members for professional development opportunities.
The Professional Development Awards are typically small grants that help support attendance at local or regional conferences and workshops. Funds may also be requested to underwrite a portion of the cost of attending a larger conference or event. This includes attendance of virtual webinars, workshops, and conferences. Please carefully review the rules and requirements listed below before submitting your application.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and candidates can expect a response within three weeks of submitting their application. Please apply at least three weeks prior to the event you would like the grant to support.
Rules and Requirements
- Candidates must be employed at an information organization that is a member of the Central New York Library Resources Council. View our member directory here.
- Candidates must not have received an award from CLRC within the past year. Generally, we will not fund the same applicant attending the same conference multiple years in a row.
- Candidates must submit their resume and a letter of support from their supervisor.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
- Please submit one application per person. For example, if you plan on attending a conference with a colleague each person should have their own separate application.
- Awards are capped at $500 for attendees of a conference or event and $700 for presenters at a conference or event. Click here to download an expense estimate spreadsheet.
- CLRC may award the full amount requested or only a part. In either case, the applicant must use the award for the stated purpose.
- Funds will be provided on submission of receipts after the purchase or event takes place. For certain travel expenses, CLRC may be able to provide funding in advance or purchase directly (but this must be discussed in advance). We do not provide per diem funding (meals or other incidental expenses). Receipts must be submitted to Rebecca Kluberdanz at rhonsinger@clrc.org.
- Receipts must be accompanied by a report, which CLRC may share, detailing the benefits of the event or opportunity. Images and graphics are encouraged (including you at the event/opportunity). View the Conference Takeaways below or download the report from CLRC’s first Professional Development Award recipient, Ruth Owens, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, to get a sense of what should be included. Reports must be submitted via Google Forms.
- The deadline to submit your report and receipts is 30 business days from the last day of the event. You risk not being reimbursed if your documents are submitted after that date.
Conference Takeways
Nicole Nicosia, CLRC Professional Development Award Recipient, Talks About the 2023 AASL Conference
The American Association of School Librarian Conference Tampa, FL October 2023 I attended many sessions at AASL Tampa 2023. They were all excellent featuring everything from how to create an excellent library space to artificial intelligence to collaboration,...
Elizabeth Taylor, CLRC Professional Development Award Recipient, Talks About the 2023 ARSL Annual Conference
The Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference Wichita, KS September 2023 ARSL 2023 was a great experience. It was good to be around other librarians from different areas, sharing programs and ideas. I got to listen to keynotes by authors Will Stuck, Adib...
Diana Cassulis, CLRC Professional Development Award Recipient, Talks About the 2023 ARSL Annual Conference
The Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference Wichita, KS September 2023 This year’s Association for Small and Rural Libraries (ARSL) annual conference was a refreshing experience. There were quite a few sessions focused on different outreach ideas and...