Information and Application for Grace and Harold Sewell Memorial Fund Stipends for Librarians to Attend Virtual Pharmacy Education 2020
Stipend Program Administered by the Library and Information Sciences Section
of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
The mission of The Grace and Harold Sewell Memorial Fund is to increase librarians’ identification with medical, pharmaceutical, and health care professionals. Librarians experienced in managing knowledge and teaching informatics can supply quality information by becoming ongoing members of the health care team. Immersion in the health care environment is necessary for librarians to understand how health care professionals solve problems individually and through consensus. For more information about the fund, see http://www.sewellfund.org.
The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) annual meeting is the largest national gathering of academic pharmacy educators, administrators, and staff. The 2020 meeting, called Virtual Pharmacy Education 2020, will be held online between July 13 and July 31.
For librarians who have never attended an AACP annual meeting, the Sewell Fund stipend will pay:
- 100% of the meeting registration fee
- 100% of the 2020 AACP annual membership dues, if the librarian is not eligible for a complimentary AACP membership and is not already an AACP member. The Sewell Fund stipend cannot be used to reimburse any dues previously paid.
For librarians who have attended an AACP annual meeting in the past, the Sewell Fund stipend may pay up to 100% of the meeting registration fee set for AACP members. The amount of the stipend will depend upon the number of applications received and the funds available. Librarians attending their first AACP annual meeting will receive priority for funding. Therefore, the stipend amount available for returning librarians is contingent upon the total amount available to distribute after stipends are awarded to first-time meeting attendees. If all of the available funds are needed for stipends for first-time meeting attendees, no Sewell Fund stipends will be available for returning librarians. When funds are available, returning librarian stipends will be no more than the meeting registration; returning librarians will be responsible for paying their own AACP dues, if necessary.
Deadline for application: June 22, 2020
Eligibility criteria:
Professional librarians with the MLS/MLIS degree who are directly responsible for information support, collection development, and instruction for a pharmacy academic curriculum are eligible for a stipend. At the time of application for a stipend, the applicant must be employed in a library supporting a pharmacy college/school and the pharmacy college/school must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or have begun the process to be accredited by ACPE.
Recipient requirements:
- Recipients must attend the Library and Information Science Section (LIS) programs in their entirety, and all posters sponsored by LIS. Recipients are encouraged to attend the Basic Resources planning session, if one is included in the meeting schedule.
- Recipients must attend at least three other sessions, at least one of which must be a plenary/general session for all attending the meeting. Recipients are encouraged to attend more than this minimum number of sessions.
- Recipients who have never attended an AACP annual meeting before are encouraged to discuss the program with a pharmacy school faculty member who is attending/has attended the meeting. This discussion may occur before, during, or after the meeting.
- Immediately following the meeting, recipients must submit a report (not to exceed 300 words), giving highlights and perceptions of the AACP, LIS and other sessions attended (a summary, not just a list). Discuss how these experiences will be beneficial in your work with pharmacy faculty and students. These reports will be published online as models for future applicants, and they may be selected for subsequent publication in print.
Application process:
Complete the application form, including:
- A brief statement explaining what you expect to gain from attending Virtual Pharmacy Education 2020. The statement should address how receiving a stipend would allow you to meet the stated goal of the Sewell Fund to “increase librarians’ identification with medical and health care professionals,” in this case pharmacy educators.
- For applicants who have never attended an AACP annual meeting: a brief description of your responsibilities as liaison to the pharmacy college/school.
- For applicants who have attended an AACP annual meeting: a brief description of your participation in AACP and LIS over the past three years. Participation may include offices held, committee service, work on the Basic Resources or Core Journal Titles projects, or attendance at AACP annual meetings.
Stipend award receipt:
For librarians who have never attended an AACP annual meeting, the chair of the LIS Awards Committee will coordinate with AACP staff to register the recipient for Virtual Pharmacy Education 2020 and to have the recipient enrolled as an AACP member, if necessary.
For librarians who have attended an AACP annual meeting, the chair of the LIS Awards Committee will coordinate with AACP staff to register the recipient for Virtual Pharmacy Education 2020. If the awarded stipend does not cover 100% of the meeting registration fee, the recipient will be responsible for the balance of the meeting registration fee. If the recipient is not a current AACP member, the recipient is responsible for paying their own annual dues and must do so before the online conference begins on July 13.