Community Foundation Announces Availability Of Librarian Legacy Scholarship, A New Offering

The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) announced recently a new scholarship being offered thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Elaine I. Sprauve Public Library on St. John.

The Librarian Legacy Scholarship, an annual educational scholarship, is available to Virgin Islands residents who are enrolled in graduate level programs in the fields of Library Science and Information Studies.

The program must be accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) or a comparable university program.  A scholarship of up to $5,000 will be awarded in 2018 to a full-time or part-time student who meets these criteria. Priority will be given to applicants who have resided on the island of St. John, according to the release.

“At the last annual meeting for the Friends of the Library, the members decided to establish a librarian scholarship,” Carol McGuiness, a member of the nonprofit group who was the beloved librarian at the Sprauve Library for many years. “It had been difficult to find qualified candidates to fill the vacant librarian position on St. John, and the Friends wanted to make it easier for residents to continue their education by relieving some of the financial pressures of the cost of the graduate degree.”

McGuiness said the scholarship is to “read it forward, investing in someone who will keep advocating for the love of reading and lifelong learning and to improve the accessibility of the library for the people of St. John and the Virgin Islands.”

“In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, we know that many of our students are faced with challenges that may delay the opportunity of pursuing higher education,” said Marie ThomasGriffith, CFVI board member and chair of the foundation’s scholarship committee. “Now, more than ever, we are kindly asking individuals, businesses and organizations to consider establishing a scholarship fund with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. With the support of partners like Friends of the Elaine I Sprauve Library, Virgin Islands students can continue to thrive in their academic careers and become the future leaders of our territory.”

The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands will be awarding the annual scholarship based on the following criteria requirements.  An applicant must:

• Be a resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Be  enrolled in a graduate level program in the fields of Library Science and Information Studies
• Demonstrate financial need

Priority will be given to eligible applicants who have resided on the island of St. John, according to the release.

Selection will be based on the student’s overall financial need, academic progress, extracurricular activities and answers to essay questions. Applications for the Librarian Legacy Scholarship can be submitted through an online portal at http://www.cfvi.fluidreview.com/. New applicants must create an account with Fluid Review before they begin the application process.  Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the account has been established. Returning applicants should use the same log-in information they used to apply previously.

The deadline to submit a scholarship application is October 12, 2018. For technical assistance, contact our Grants and Programs Manager, Khadija A.V. de Lagarde, at [email protected] or 340-774-6031.

If you are interested in donating to an existing scholarship fund or establishing a new scholarship fund, contact CFVI at (340) 774-6031 or e-mail [email protected].