Foreign, Comparative and International Law

FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians

The purpose of the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians is to provide financial assistance to ensure the presence and participation of a foreign librarian at the AALL Annual Meeting.  Foreign attendees enrich AALL events by sharing global perspectives for the benefit of all participants.
The FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians for the July 21-24, 2012 Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, provides the following support:

1. A waiver of the AALL Annual Meeting full registration fee.
2. A grant of a minimum US $2,000 to assist with accommodations and travel costs.

Note: The FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient will be responsible for supplementing the Schaffer Grant funds with other sources if necessary.

Qualifications: An applicant must be a law librarian or other professional working in the legal information field, who is currently employed in a country other than the United States.  An applicant must be in a position of significant responsibility for the dissemination, preservation, and/or organization of legal information.  An applicant may be from any type of law library (public, law firm, corporate, academic, court, etc.).  An applicant who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend the AALL Annual Meeting is invited and encouraged to apply. Applicants must have sufficient English proficiency to fully participate in the conference (both listening and speaking) without an interpreter.

The Grant Committee will not consider applications from individuals who have previously received the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians.

Selection Criteria:  The Grant Committee will evaluate an application on the basis of the foreign law librarian’s ability to add to our knowledge of law, legal information, and law librarianship from a foreign perspective. The Grant Committee may give preference to an applicant from an under-represented country or region, to someone who demonstrates financial need, or to an applicant who has never attended an AALL Annual Meeting

In order to ensure diversity, the Grant Committee will endeavor not to select recipients from the same country as FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipients of the previous three years.

Grant Recipient Responsibilities: At the conference, the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient will be expected to share his or her knowledge and experience with other law librarians by making a presentation, participating in a panel discussion, or taking questions from the audience at an FCIL-sponsored meeting or event. After the conference, the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient agrees to write a short article or report (1-2 pages in length) for the Fall 2012 issue of the FCIL newsletter.  The recipient is welcome to propose alternate or additional means of sharing his or her knowledge.

Application procedure: To be considered for the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians, please submit an Application Form and a résumé of your professional qualifications. The Application Form should be filled out as completely as possible. Simultaneous electronic submission of a completed Application and résumé is preferred but not required.

All documents should be in English and should be sent together (electronically or traditional mail) by March 1, 2012, to the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians Selection Committee Chair:

Notification: The Selection Committee will notify the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient and other applicants of its award decision by April 15, 2012. The Selection Committee may also post a general announcement in AALL publications and listservs.

The FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient will receive a formal letter of invitation to the conference from the American Association of Law Libraries. However, it is the recipient’s responsibility to obtain a United States visa for travel to and from the conference. Since the process of obtaining a United States visa is very slow, the recipient is urged to submit their visa application as soon as possible after receiving written confirmation of selection. If circumstances prevent the recipient from attending the AALL Annual Meeting, the grant will revert to the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians Committee for disposition at the discretion of the Committee.

Past Winners of the Schaffer Grant

The FCIL-SIS gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of many Donors

Despite valuable support from AALL, FCIL, vendors, and individual AALL members, the Grant Fund does not fully cover the cost of transportation, lodging, and food for grant recipients. Your tax-deductible donations can keep this valuable Grant alive. Read what past winners say about the Grant and their experiences at the AALL Annual Meeting. Contributions should be sent directly to AALL. Please fill out and send in the form from the AALL website. Make your check payable to “AALL” or “American Association of Law Libraries;” please write “Schaffer Grant” in the “For”/”Note” portion of the check. Checks together with completed forms may be mailed to:

AALL
105 West Adams St.,
Suite 3300
Chicago, IL 60603. 

AALL is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and these contributions may be tax-deductible.

2012 FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians Selection Committee

Last updated January 2012