*** Apologies for cross posting***
Several Scholarships Available for the 2026 Mortenson Center Associates Program
Learn more about the scholarships of $4,000 each to cover the cost of the program fee at https://www.library.illinois.edu/mortenson/associates/
Application form here. and on our website. Apply by November 21st, 2025.
Poised for Impact: Data, User, Strategy-Driven Libraries
A professional development and Leadership Program for Library & Information Science (LIS) professionals
The Mortenson Center for International Library Programs is excited to offer its 2026 Associates Program with the theme: Poised for Impact: Data, User, Strategy-Driven Libraries on 1 June - 24 June, 2026 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The 2026 program will offer library leaders, innovators, and professionals working outside the United States an opportunity to explore critical issues and trends in the library field and to engage with librarians implementing cutting-edge programs and services.
Program participants will learn about novel and inventive practices and services in areas such as:
- User-centered Services
- AI and Emerging Technologies
- Environmental Scanning
- Leadership, Communication and Strategic Change
- Library Assessment and Communicating Impact
- Multiple Literacies
- Digital and Print Collections and Repositories
- International Professional Networking
2026 Program Highlights:
· Seminars and Workshops which introduce and explore current trends in the field. Library experts will be invited to share their perspectives, offer expertise, and foster conversations on the themes of leadership and impact to build data, user, strategy-driven libraries.
· Tours of a variety of libraries, including academic, public, and special libraries. We may also visit the American Library Association headquarters in Chicago and other sites of interest.
· Networking with a dynamic group of international colleagues during and post-program.
· Participants will develop individual action plans appropriate to their professional and institutional needs and will receive post-program implementation review.
· Each participant will receive a Certificate of Program Participation upon completion.
· Scheduling to allow participants to attend the Annual Conference & Exhibition of the American Library Association (ALA), if they wish. The 2026 ALA Annual Conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois, June 25-29, 2026. Arrangements and registration for the conference must be made separately and are not included in program costs.
Applications for the Associates Program AND scholarships are due 21 November 2025.
Watch the online information session at: https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_aahn74b5
Want to know what it is like to be an Associate?
Watch a video featuring interviews and highlights from our 2015 Associates Program, or read about the first-hand experiences of our previous cohorts on the Associates blog.
For more information about the program or to download an application, please visit: https://www.library.illinois.edu/mortenson/associates/