MLA Conference Travel Grant Committee Annual Report 2021

submitted by Chris Durman

Current Roster

  • Carlos Peña (2021), outgoing
  • Chris Durman (2022), chair
  • Andrea Copland (2023)
  • Daniel E. Ray (2024)
  • Terry Lewis (2025)

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  • The Committee received no applications in response to the call for the 2021 grant
  • Began supervision of the recently-funded Paraprofessional/Public Librarian Travel Grant
  • The Committee was renamed from the Kevin Freeman Travel Grant Committee to the MLA Conference Travel Grant Committee
  • Added a new Californian member, Terry Lewis, who has agreed to serve on the Committee for four years.
    • The Committee will not add a new member in 2022 so that the Committee will return to a three-member committee in 2022.
  • Revise the Kevin Freeman Travel Grant page and the Paraprofessional/Public Librarian Travel Grant page to serve multiple needs including informing potential applicants about the Grants, enabling donations to support the Grants, and facilitating applications.

List of previous goals and progress made toward each goal:

  • Previous goals included creating a handbook for the Committee’s space on the MLA website. This is still in progress.

List of Future Goals

  • The Committee will continue with its policy to give at least one of the Kevin Freeman Travel Grants to an individual from an underrepresented minority group. This relates to the MLA Strategic Plan’s core value of inclusivity and the goal area of membership (Objective 1: Increase outreach efforts to members from underrepresented groups).
  • Create a handbook for the Committee’s space on the MLA website.