Student Financial Assistance Program: Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loans*
Throughout
her career, Ruth Fine served as a mentor to budding librarians and encouraged talented,
service-oriented people to enter the field of library and information service,
especially in the public sector. She was also a leader in the library field,
serving as President of DCLA from 1963 to 1964.
In
2000, Miss Fine left a generous bequest to the DCLA Student Loan Fund to assist
future librarians. The interest from the bequest, supplemented by contributions
from DCLA members, has been used each year since 2002 to award at least two
$5,000 no-interest loans for library school students. The amount will be raised to $6,000 per loan
beginning in 2010.
To
qualify for this no-interest loan, an applicant must:
- Be enrolled at
a university in an ALA-accredited program.
- Be a member of
DCLA (current student membership is $20).
- Submit a
statement of professional goals, including why the library/information
science field was chosen.
- Provide two
letters of recommendation. A reference from a current DCLA member is
preferred for one of the two letters.
- Demonstrate a
definite need for the loan and indicate whether other loans, grants, or
scholarships have been received.
- Have never
received a DCLA student loan previously.
Loans
are awarded based on commitment to pursuing a professional career in the
library/information science field, academic background, previous work
experience, and financial need. Preference will be given to Washington, DC,
residents or someone employed in the District of Columbia, but awards have been
made to members who live, work, or study in other states as well.
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*The loan may be
forgiven upon evidence of superior academic achievement (3.0 or better GPA) for
the twelve (12) months of study following the award.
The
deadline for the receipt of applications for the 2010 awards is the close of
business on Thursday, April 15,
2010.
Below are links to the application and recommendation forms.
Please contact Bill Tuceling, (Chair, DCLA Student Financial Assistance Committee) at 202-512-5025 or tuceling@cox.net with any questions about the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loans.
Past Student Loan Recipients