Are you interested in learning how to use data for decision making, strategic planning, and demonstrating the impact of your library?  Do you work in a rural and small public library in the United States?  If so, please consider applying for a scholarship for next summer’s Research Institute for Public Libraries (RIPL).

Up to 20 scholarships to the Research Institute for Public Libraries (RIPL) 2018 event in Atlanta, Georgia (July 29 – August 1, 2018) are available to staff working in rural and small public libraries in the United States.  These scholarships are funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

RIPL is a national event, hosted by the Colorado State Library and the Colorado Library Consortium, and offers three days of hands-on, intensive workshops on:

• Evaluation design and implementation
• Data collection and use for strategic planning, management, and communication
• Measures for reporting library impact

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be employed by a U.S. public library that is located in a rural area AND serves a population of less than 25,000.  Determine whether your library meets these criteria here. In addition, you must be a first-time participant of RIPL.  If you have already attended a national or regional RIPL event, you are not eligible for a scholarship.

Learn more and apply.  Scholarship applications are due by 6:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, October 27, 2017.

Space is limited at RIPL. If you are a Wyoming librarian interested in attending, the State Library would like to know. Contact Thomas Ivie, WSL Research and Statistics Librarian, at thomas.ivie@wyo.gov or (307) 777-6330 as soon as possible.