Julieann V. Nilson InULA Scholarship Program
InULA scholarships are intended to encourage and reward the potential for excellence in the library and information science profession.
Any new or continuing full-time or part-time student in the Master of Information Science, Master of Library Science, or Master of Library and Information Science degree program in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at IU Indiananpolis or IU Bloomington is eligible to apply. This includes students who have been admitted to the program, but who will commence their studies after the scholarship awardee(s) have been announced.
Much evaluative weight is put on the candidate’s statement of purpose, reflecting the personal philosophy of librarianship and career goals. Content and even style are factors in the evaluation of the statement. In addition, the letter(s) of recommendation plus the student’s GPA and list of coursework (if applicable) provide secondary support for the application.
The InULA Executive Board in consultation with the Director of Admissions and Placement, SOIC ILS, shall have responsibility for annually awarding two scholarships. Some years may have additional funding.
Each year the Board invites applicants to submit application materials by
March 1. The scholarship is to be awarded on or before May 1.
Responsibility for publicity will be shared by the InULA Executive Board and the SOIC ILS Director of Admissions.
Applications MUST be submitted electronically to the InULA Grants and Scholarships Committee Chair.
Fill out the InULA Scholarship application form, including a statement of purpose that reflects your philosophy of librarianship and career goals. In the case of incoming students, the applicants may choose to release the DILS application statement of purpose to the InULA Board rather than compose a new document. The statement of the winning applicant may be published in the association’s newsletter, InULA Notes.
Submit one or more letters of reference addressing your professional qualifications. The letter(s) MUST be sent electronically to the Chair of the Grants and Scholarships Committee and should use the following guidelines:
A. Letters of reference should be in Word or PDF format. Letterhead from the reference’s organization is preferred. Please name the file [Applicant’s Last Name]ReferenceLetter (e.g. SmithReferenceLetter.docx)
B. The Subject line of the email sent to the Chair of the Grants and Scholarships Committee should be: Nilson Scholarship-[Applicant’s Name] (e.g. Nilson Scholarship-John Doe)
Please provide your DILS GPA to the Chair of the Grants and Scholarships Committee if applicable. (An official transcript is not necessary.)
Application deadline: March 1st
All letters of reference should be sent via email attachment to the current Chair of the Scholarship and Grants Committee.
Julieann V. Nilson was born on July 19, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her B.A. in English at Indiana University and as an undergraduate worked with Margaret Rufsvold, the first Dean of the Graduate Library School at IU (1966-1967), when it was the Division of Library Science. After completing her B.A., Julie worked for the Indiana University Libraries and earned her M.A. in Library Science from the Graduate School in 1966 (at that time, library science degrees were granted by the Graduate School through the School of Education).
Julie started her library career at the LaPorte (Indiana) Public Library, working with librarian Margaret Sheviak (who was later on the Library School faculty and taught children’s literature for many years). Her career at the Indiana University Libraries spanned four decades and included positions as a cataloger, department head in Acquisitions, and most recently as the Librarian for Latin American, Iberian, and Chicano-Riqueño Studies.
Julie’s skills in Portuguese (she received language training through a Ford Foundation grant), her professional service as a Latin American Studies cataloger, and leadership in the CIC’s coordinated preservation microfilming of Latin American materials all greatly contributed to the strength of the IU Libraries collections and services. Her professional affiliations included being a founding member of the Midwest Organization of Libraries for Latin American Studies (MOLLAS), membership in ALA, ACRL, LITA, ALCTS, Indiana Library Association, and InULA. She was also recently involved in SALALM (Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials).
Her many professional accomplishments include receiving the William Evan Jenkins Librarian Award in 1990 in recognition of her contributions to librarianship as well as the IU Libraries. She was committed to advancing facultystatus for librarians and was devoted to mentoring those new to the profession. Julie was also very involved in the Bloomington community. She served on the Bloomington Area Arts Council and was an avid art collector.
Julie Nilson was a very special librarian, who played a large rolein InULA and the efforts to obtain and secure faculty status for librarians at Indiana University. She was untiring in her efforts to assist InULA, both in its behind-the-scenes activities and in InULA’s public efforts. In honor of her many contributions to InULA, the Board of Directors voted on December 16, 2002 to name the InULA scholarship program in Julie’s honor.