2009 E.J. Josey Scholarship Award~ Deadline Dec. 12, 2008

The E.J. Josey Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the topic for the 2009 Award competition. The E. J. Josey Scholarships are two (2) unrestricted grants of $2,000 awarded annually to African American students enrolled in or accepted by ALA accredited programs.

Persons Wishing to Apply Must:
Be an African American Citizen of the United States or Canada.
Be enrolled or accepted by ALA-accredited graduate program leading to a degree in library and information science at the time of application.

Please submit an essay of 1,000 - 1,200 words relating to the following Statement:
"In Alabama, Blacks are 26 % of the population but make up 69% of all new HIV/AIDS cases. In Detroit, Michigan HIV infection rates are higher than Rwanda and Kenya-who has one of highest rates in the world. In Jackson, Mississippi, 84% of those living with AIDS are Black. In New York City the rate of infection among African Americans is higher than in Nigeria. And in Washington, DC, the nation's capital, more than 80% of HIV cases are among Blacks - that's one in 20 residents!"
Source: Black AIDS Institute, 1833 W 8th St. Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90057

The theme for the 2009 BCALA E.J. Josey Scholarship Essay:
What is the library's role in promoting an awareness of critical health issues confronting the African American community? Specifically, what is the role of the library in the dissemination of preventative information to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the African-American community?

The deadline for the essays will be December 12, 2008
Essays should be submitted in Word 2003 or later to bbeal@mcc.cc.ms.us. Billy C. Beal Meridian Community College

The winning essays will be announced at the mid winter meeting of BCALA in Denver, CO during the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association in January, 2009

Special Instructions:

• Include a cover letter providing the applicant's name, address, phone number, graduate program, and name of school and anticipated date of graduation.
• Essay submissions must be in plain text, Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect format to be mailed electronically as an attachment. Only essays submitted electronically will be considered.
• The essay must be typed, doubled-spaced.
• Essays will be judged on the basis of good argument development and critical analysis, clear language, conciseness, and creativity.