Lynne Stype Empowerment Grant
Sponsored by Follett Library Resources

Lynne Stype, former MASL President, Mark Twain Award Chair and Co-Founder of the Children’s Literature Festival of the Ozarks, spent much of her professional career as the sole library media specialist in her building with no clerical support. Despite the demands the work made on Lynne and her family, she devoted many hours of service to professional associations. This grant recognizes Lynne Stype’s devotion to service and her dedicated interest in professional development.

Please use the application form and follow the instructions below to apply for the Lynne Stype Empowerment Grant.

Purposes
1. Acknowledges the challenges of administering the library media center program without clerical assistance.
2. Recognizes individuals whose extraordinary efforts follow Lynne Stype’s example of service to the Profession.
3. Makes participation in a national or multi-state regional conference financially feasible for an individual with limited or no district level support for professional development.

Nature of the Award
1. Provides up to $750.00 toward expenses incurred while attending a national or multi-state regional conference. Allowable expenses include conference registration, travel to and from the conference, meals and lodging. (For specific information, see the Association Travel Policies and Procedures).
2. Recipient must provide completed expense report and travel related receipts before funds are disbursed.
3. All applications are retained in the MASL office for one year.
4. When a selected recipient is found to not meet the stated criteria, or fails to forward required documentation to the MASL office, the selected recipient forfeits the grant. The Awards Committee may then choose an alternate recipient.
5. MASL honors the recipient(s) and a guest at the Spring Conference awards ceremony.
6. Follett awards a Certificate to the recipient at the Spring Conference.

Eligibility Criteria
1. Is a current Missouri resident or currently employed in a Missouri school.
2. Is a current member of the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL).
3. Is not a past recipient of the Lynne Stype grant.
4. Has demonstrated prior participation in professional development by attending MASL conferences and/or workshops.
5. Proposed conference must fall into one of three general categories: school librarianship, technology or reading.
6. Proposed conference activities and/or presentations must be directly applicable to professional practice as a library media specialist.
7. Agree to present a program disseminating activities/experiences at the next MASL Spring Conference.
8. Agree to serve as an at-large member of the Professional Development Committee (PDC) for one year.

Publicity
Notification regarding application guidelines and deadlines are made through the following:
1. MASL Web site
2. MASL newsletter
3. MASL listserv
4. State, School District, and Higher Education listservs

Selection Process
1. The Professional Development Committee evaluates the applications.
2. Awards are determined using a blind review, rubric-based process.
3. In the event that one or more applicants receive the same number of points, a drawing determines the recipient.
4. The Professional Development Committee Chair or a designee may elect to e-mail, or conduct telephone interviews with, the applicants and/or references listed.
5. If submitted applications do not meet the stated criteria, the Professional Development Committee may recommend to the Council and Follett that no grant be awarded.

Completing the Application Form:
• Provide all required information on the Application form.
• Submit the application electronically no later than December 1 close of business (6:00 p.m. CT).
• All mailed applications must be received no later than December 1 close of business (6:00 p.m. CT).

Applicant Contact Information
Enter contact information. Make certain the information is correct and up-to-date.

Work Experience
List work experience as a classroom teacher or library media specialist beginning with most recent employer(s).

Administrator Reference
Provide contact information for each of the building principals for whom you work. The Awards Chair or a designee may elect to e-mail, or conduct telephone interviews with, the applicant(s) and/or references listed regarding the proposed conference and its potential benefit as a professional development opportunity.

Essay Questions
Respond to the two essay questions in the spaces provided. Note the limit of 350 words for each response. Responses that exceed the 350-word limit will be noted as not meeting stated criteria at an expected level.

Submission Information
All application materials must be received in the MASL office no later than close of business December 1 (6:00 p.m. CT). Any applications received after the stated deadline will not be reviewed.

Electronic submissions:
Send applications materials in electronic format to masl_org@earthlink.net

Printed Submissions:
Printed applications may be mailed to:
Missouri Association of School Librarians
606 Dix Road
Jefferson City, Missouri 65109

Click here to download the Application Form.

Previous Winners

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