WVLS Scholarships and Grants

Power Up: A Leadership Conference for Youth Services Managers and Staff, brings together youth services librarians and staff from public libraries, schools, after-school programs, museums, and other community partners. Sponsored by The Information School at UW-Madison, this conference takes place virtually only on February 14-15, 2025.

WVLS is offering scholarships to cover registration for its member public libraries who have worked in youth services for at least two years. Scholarship recipients are required to attend the full conference, with sessions from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on each day. 

The application must be completed by 6 p.m. on Monday, November 4.

Congratulations to the following scholarship recipients! 
Andrea Bennett, T.B. Scott Free Library (Merrill)
Erica Dischinger, Minocqua Public Library
Sarah Moscatello, MCPL – Mosinee Branch

V-Cat is awarding scholarships to member library staff to attend the 2024 Back In Circulation Conference taking place October 7-8, 2024. The conference for managers and staff in access and circulation services is hosted by The Information School at UW-Madison and will be held at the Pyle Center on the UW-Madison Campus.  More details can be found on the conference website.

This scholarship provides $1,075 to cover some/all of the following costs:

• conference registration ($315)
• optional conference lunch ($25)
• mileage reimbursement to and from the conference (WVLS rate)
• up to two nights of conference lodging (October 6 and 7)
• parking expenses

Congratulations to Maxx Handel for being a scholarship recipient! 

The Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS) is awarding scholarships to library staff and trustees to attend the 2024 Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Conference in Green Bay on November 5-8. More conference details can be found here.

Up to $1,200 is available for the scholarship, and it covers expenses for the following:

• Conference registration (WLA member or non-member)
  • Can include the Award’s Reception and conference tours; it does not include the cost to participate in the WLA Foundation Fundraiser
• Mileage reimbursement (WVLS rate) to/from the conference
• Up to 3 nights of conference lodging (November 5, 6 and 7)

Eligibility and Requirements:

• Applicant must currently work at a WVLS member public library or serve as a trustee for a member library.
• Applicant must have one year of experience working in public libraries or serving on a public library board as of November 1, 2024.
• Applicant is expected to make their own conference arrangements.
• The 2024 WVLS WLA Conference scholar is expected to share their conference experience and knowledge gained with library colleagues via a written report submitted to WVLS within 30 days of the conference (a form will be provided).

Congratulations for the recipients!
Alice Sturzl, Laona Board of Trustee
Andrea Bennett, TB Scott Free Library (Merrill)
Laurie Renel-Faledas, Crandon Public Library
Leah Giordano, MCPL
Murray Johnson, MCPL
Teresa Hall, Loyal Public Library

WVLS is awarding a scholarship to member library staff to attend the 2024 Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) National Institute taking place September 19-21, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. More details can be found here.

Up to $2100 is available for the scholarship, to cover such travel expenses as:

• Early Bird National Institute Registration
• Roundtrip Economy Class Air Transportation
• Up to 3 nights of conference lodging (including transportation from airport)
• Wisconsin airport parking and mileage to/from airport

Congratulations to Krista Blomberg of the Rib Lake Public Library for being awarded the scholarship!

The Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS) is awarding scholarships to member library staff to attend the 2024 Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) Conference taking place May 1 – 3, 2024 at the Holiday Inn Stevens Point Convention Center.
More details can be found here.

Up to $900 is available for the scholarship, to cover some/all of the following costs:

• Conference registration (WLA member or non-member)
• Mileage reimbursement (WVLS rate) to/from the conference
• Up to 2 nights of conference lodging (May 1 and 2)

Congratulations to the scholarship recipients:
Amber Brill, Greenwood Public Library
Brandon Hardin, Withee Public Library
Katelyn Sobelko, Marathon County Public Library

The 2024 WVLS Summer Math Adventure Grant is a pilot project and opportunity for WVLS libraries to offer or enhance math-based activities throughout the summer. Libraries participating in the pilot received $500 to offer the Wisconsin Mathematics Council’s Summer Math Adventure program. The grant could be used to defray a participating library’s program costs associated with implementing the program.

Congrats to the following libraries for receiving the Math Grants!

• Minocqua Public Library
• Rib Lake Public Library
• Thorp Public Library

The Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS) is awarding $400 scholarships to library staff and trustees to attend the 2024 WLA Library Legislative Day in Madison on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

The scholarship will cover registration ($40), one night of lodging, mileage to and from WVLS, a dinner reimbursement on February 5 and lunch reimbursement on February 6.

• WLA has reserved a courtesy block of rooms at the Best Western Premier Park Hotel in downtown Madison.
• WVLS has secured a bus to take library supporters to the event. The bus will leave the Marathon County Public Library (Wausau) parking lot at 2 p.m. on Monday, February 5 and depart Madison the following day by 4 p.m.
• WVLS will arrange for its own briefing session via Zoom the week before Library Legislative Day. Information for the LLD brief will be shared at a later date.

The Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS) is awarding scholarships to public and K-12 school library staff to attend the 2024 Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) Conference at the Wisconsin Dells’ Kalahari Resort and Convention Center on March 3-5, 2024. More details about the conference can be found here: https://www.wemta.org/events/conference.cfm.

Congrats to Laurie Ollhoff at the T.B. Scott Free Lirbary  (Merrill) on being awarded a scholarship.

The 2024 WVLS Marketing Support Grant is a pilot project and opportunity for WVLS libraries to evaluate their marketing goals and to work toward a library marketing plan or marketing campaign in 2024. One of the challenges for public libraries is finding effective ways to promote what they do, and focusing on a specific marketing campaign or creating a marketing plan are great places to start.

A marketing plan is a document that defines marketing strategies to reach a targeted audience. Marketing campaigns are sets of strategic activities that promote a specific marketing goal. A marketing campaign could be used to promote a product, a service, or the library as a whole.

Libraries that participate in the pilot will receive $250-500 in funds to support their marketing plan or campaign.

The deadline to submit an application is Tuesday, December 12.

WVLS will award scholarships to area library staff to attend the national 2024 Public Library Association (PLA) Conference.

Offered biennially, the PLA Conference is an opportunity for librarians across the country and around the world to reconnect with one another, recreate the services they provide, and revitalize the passion for the work they do every day.

Valued at $2,400, this scholarship includes the following:

• Early Bird/Advanced Conference Registration
• One Author Lunch
• Roundtrip Economy Class Air Transportation
• 4 nights of conference lodging (including transportation from airport)
• Wisconsin airport parking and mileage to/from airport

Congratulations to the PLA Conference Recipients!
Allison Puestow, Tomahawk Public Library
Chad Daley, Marathon County Public Library
Tara Hornbeak, Marathon County Public Library