WLA Scholarships Home

Maryan E. Reynolds Scholarship

$1000 - $3000 to one or more WLA members who is enrolled in an ALA-accredited Masters degree program and has completed at least one semester or quarter.

Maryan Reynolds, Washington State Librarian from 1951 to 1975, laid the groundwork for the development of library districts in the state. Under her leadership, the Washington State Library became one of the foremost state libraries in the U.S. After she died in 2004, the WLA scholarship was renamed in her honor.


Scholarship Forms

Applications for the 2023-2024 WLA Scholarship cycle are now available! Scholarship winners will be notified by Aug. 31 and announced to WLA membership the week following.


How to Apply

Complete the online WLA Scholarship Application and attach to it and/or send separately to [email protected]:

  1. Your current resume
  2. Three recommendations, with at least one from a professor or advisor in your MLIS program. Please refer to the Scholarship Recommendation Form for further instructions.
  3. Copy of an official transcript from the MLIS program you are attending, showing work completed during your last semester or quarter.

The application and ALL materials must be sent by the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be eligible for consideration.


Scholarship Requirements

  • Applicants must be individual Washington Library Association members.
  • Maryan E. Reynolds Scholarship ONLY – applicant must be enrolled in an ALA-accredited master’s degree program and completed at least one semester or quarter.
  • Scholarship recipients are required to share the outcome of or information about the results of their scholarship by choosing one of these responses: 
    • prepare a piece for WLA publication 
    • present at a WLA conference, event, or workshop, either a session or a poster for Spotlight on Success

Selection Criteria

These criteria will be used by the WLA Professional Development Committee to evaluate applications:

  • Current membership in the Washington Library Association.
  • Satisfactory completion of at least one semester or quarter in an ALA-accredited program leading to a master’s degree in library and information science.
  • Demonstration of potential for leadership in the profession and commitment to libraries and library service.
  • Benefits of the scholarship
  • Need and desire for the scholarship
  • Current or previous involvement with WLA, or plan to be active in WLA during the academic year in which the scholarship is awarded; examples: serve as intern to Alki editorial committee, contributor to Alki, student liaison to WLA Board, active in WLA Division or Section or committee, involvement with WLA, WLA conference, or WLA-sponsored workshop.