I'm Crystal Jolly and I am the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Diversity Graduate Student Assistant at Wayne State. I connect with individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds on and off campus, spreading the word about viable career and educational options in library and information science (LIS). I also share my experience being an LIS student from a historically underrepresented population. From my experience so far in this position, I learned the importance of removing barriers which prevent individuals of diverse backgrounds from pursuing LIS. Of those barriers, MONEY seems to be the barrier of paramount significance.

However, many organizations are eager to pay for the education of individuals who are from diverse backgrounds pursuing an education in LIS. In fact, money is available for Wayne State University students to pursue LIS in their own backyard! The University is a partner institution of the LIS Access Midwest Program (LAMP) which "seeks promising undergraduates to pursue studies in Library and Information Science" ( LAMP, 2009). Visit the LIS Access Midwest Program for more information.

It seems many people from diverse backgrounds, especially those who need financial assistance the most, are not aware of the scholarship opportunties available to them. In response to this, I created a list of scholarships exclusively for individuals from historically underrepresented groups who would like to attend an LIS program but, are in need of financial assistance. This list details each scholarship's requirements and perks and provides a link to each scholarship for students to access them directly.

If you know someone who may benefit from this information, please pass it along. Barriers are being broken one scholarship at a time.

Access the scholarship list at "LIS Diversity Scholarships".

Also, SLIS offers internal scholarships you can explore at http://slis.wayne.edu/admissions/scholarships-finaid.php.