2026 Conference Awards

2026 Conference Awards
Full Name*

First NameLast Name
Member Organization*
E-mail Address*
example@example.com
Mailing Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip CodeCountry
Have you attended a MOLA Conference before?*

YesNo
Are you applying for a First-time attendee award?*

YesNo

First-time Attendee Award
The purpose of the first-time conference attendee scholarship is to encourage conference participation by MOLA member librarians who have never attended the annual conference. Recipients will be required to participate in the Conference Mentoring Program and to write: a brief summary of a conference session or an article about their experience attending the conference and participating in the Mentoring program (for potential publication in Marcato, in collaboration with the Marcato Editor-in-Chief), to be used on the website, and for future programmatic promotion or fundraising opportunities.

Applications will be reviewed and, if granted, funds will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis until the allotted funds are exhausted. Applicants will be notified as soon as possible by the MOLA Administrator as awards are granted - please refrain from making conference registration payment until you have been notified of the outcome of your application review.

Applications will be reviewed by the Membership Committee and submitted to the Board for final approval. Applicants for the First-Time Attendee Award are also eligible to apply for Travel Assistance.
Please upload your résumé*

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Personal Statement: Please explain why you'd like to attend/participate in this year's conference and what you hope to gain through conference attendance.*
Are you also applying for Travel Assistance?*

YesNo - ready to sumbit

Travel Assistance
Deadline: February 1, 2026

Eligibility Requirements: Member librarians who were not awarded Travel Assistance funding in the previous year are eligible to apply. Member librarians are expected to seek funding from their organization first, before applying for any needed additional assistance from MOLA.

Travel Assistance is intended to assist member librarians with basic economy transportation costs only (not additional add-ons), as well as up to 2 nights in a conference designated hotel - not with food, fees, or miscellaneous expenses. Stays in non-designated hotels, hostels, or vacation rentals will not be reimbursed. This is important for meeting minimum room requirements laid out in MOLA's arrangements with the conference designated hotel(s). In the event that conference designated hotel room allotments are fully booked, other options of equivalent cost may be considered.

As guidelines in the decision-making process, the committee will consider factors such as the applicant's personal or professional circumstances, degree of hardship, and history of past Travel Assistance awards. Except in unusual circumstances, no applicant whall be granted funding in two consecutive years.

After the submission deadline of February 1 has passed, all Travel Assistance applications will be reviewed at once by the Finance Committee and awards will be submitted to the Board for final approval. Applicants will be notified by February 15, 2026.

Recipients must submit receipts for expenses incurred to MOLA within 45 days of your purchase for reimbursement. This allows our organization to act in accordance with IRS rules. Any receipts received after that date cannot be reimbursed.
Requested total amount for transportation expenses to and from the conference location (not including local ground transportation during the conference) - PLEASE INDICATE A SPECIFIC CURRENCY.*
Upload supporting documentation to show anticipated transportation expenses (basic economy airfare, train fare, bus fare, or auto/fuel expense if driving).*

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Number of hotel nights in conference designated hotel*
Amount of funds provided by your organization or any other donor/sponsor entity for the conference - PLEASE INDICATE A SPECIFIC CURRENCY*
Specific reason(s) for requesting MOLA Travel Assistance:*

Should be Empty:

First-time Attendee Award

Travel Assistance