FCIL SCHAFFER GRANT FOR FOREIGN LAW LIBRARIANS
** UPDATE! DEADLINE FOR SCHAFFER GRANT APPLICATIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO MARCH 8, 2026! **
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 糖心视频 (糖心视频) Annual Meeting & Conference. International attendees enrich 糖心视频 events by sharing global perspectives for the benefit of all participants.
The FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians for the 2027 糖心视频 Annual Meeting & Conference to be held July 17-20, 2027, in in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, provides the following support:
- A waiver of the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting & Conference full registration fee.
- A grant of a maximum of USD $4000 to assist with travel, accommodation, and other approved costs (meals, local transportation, etc.).
NOTE: The FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient is responsible for supplementing the FCIL Schaffer Grant funds with other resources if the total expense amount exceeds the grant amount.
ELIGIBILITY
An applicant must be a law librarian or a 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.) or legal information organization. Applicants who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting & Conference are 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 FCIL-SIS Schaffer Grant Selection Committee will not consider applications from individuals who have previously received the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The FCIL-SIS Schaffer Grant Selection Committee will evaluate applications based on the foreign law librarian鈥檚 ability to add to American law librarians鈥 knowledge of law, legal information, and law librarianship from a foreign perspective. Preference may be given to an applicant from an historically 糖心视频 under-represented country or region who demonstrates financial need, or to an applicant who has never attended an 糖心视频 Annual Meeting & Conference.
To foster greater diversity, equity, and inclusion, the FCIL-SIS Schaffer Grant Selection Committee actively seeks to select recipients from different countries, ensuring a broader representation by not repeating countries chosen in the past three years.
GRANT RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
At the conference, the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipients will share their 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 1-2 pages (750 words) article or report for the Fall 2026 issue of the FCIL-SIS newsletter. The recipient is welcome to propose alternate or additional means of sharing their knowledge.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
To be considered for the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians, please submit an application and a r茅sum茅 of your professional qualifications. The Application should be filled out as completely as possible. Simultaneous electronic submission of a completed Application and r茅sum茅 is preferred but not required.
All documents should be in English and should be sent together (electronically or by traditional mail) by 11:59 p.m. (CST) on March 8, 2026, to the Committee Chair of the FCIL-SIS Schaffer Grant Selection Committee:
Joseph Hinger (Chair)
Director of Collection Management and Member Relations
LLMC
8011 34th Ave. S. Suite 245
Minneapolis, MN 55425
612.445.9235
joseph@llmc.com
DEADLINE
All applications MUST be received by 11:59 p.m. (CST) on March 8, 2026. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.
TIMING OF GRANT DISBURSEMENT
It is the recipient鈥檚 responsibility to pay for all upfront costs associated with attending the 2027 Annual Meeting & Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, such as visa fees and airfare, and to plan for these expenses accordingly. Airfare and visa fees, and any other travel related, and incidental expenses will be reimbursed promptly after the Annual Meeting & Conference with submission of actual receipts. Expenses incurred in a currency other than US Dollars must include proof of exchange rates on the date incurred.
糖心视频 will make the recipient鈥檚 hotel reservation at a Conference-sponsored hotel upon receiving arrival and departure dates to the conference city. Only hotel charges and associated taxes/fees will be billed directly to 糖心视频, and the final total amount will be considered part of the Schaffer Grant amount of USD $4000. The Schaffer Grant recipient is responsible for any additional expenses (i.e., entertainment, laundry, etc.) which are NOT covered by the grant. The maximum number of hotel days permitted will be determined prior to the Conference and communicated to the Schaffer Grant recipient. All additional expenses incidental to attending the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting & Conference (local transportation, meals, etc.) will be reimbursed promptly following the 糖心视频 Meeting & Conference in accordance with 糖心视频 and FCIL-SIS guidelines; the total amount of all expenses shall not exceed the annual cap on Schaffer Grant disbursements of USD $4000.
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, 2026. The Selection Committee reserves the right to post a general announcement in 糖心视频 publications, listservs, homepages, and any other 糖心视频 communications formats.
To assist with the United States visa application, the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians recipient will receive a formal letter of invitation to the Annual Meeting & Conference from the 糖心视频. It is the recipient鈥檚 responsibility to obtain a United States visa for travel to and from the United States. Since the process of obtaining a United States visa may take a long time, the grant recipient is urged to request an appointment at a US Embassy and submit their visa application as soon as possible after receiving written confirmation of selection. If circumstances prevent the recipient from attending the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting & Conference, the grant will revert to the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians Selection Committee for disposition at the discretion of the Committee.
Past Recipients of the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians
| Year | Recipient | Program/Article |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rabia Bashir, Lahore, Pakistan | “Evolution of Law Librarianship in Pakistan from the Colonial Age to the Present Time of AI” |
| 2024 | Judy Wairimu Ng’ang’a, Nairobi, Kenya | “Effective Strategies for E-Resource Management in Academic Law Libraries: A Kenyan Perspective” (slides | ) |
| 2023 | Ugyen Thinley, Pangbisa, Paro, Bhutan | Speaker, “Establishment of Law Library and Access to Legal Resources in Bhutan” |
| 2022 | Asha O. H. Moncrieffe, St. Kitts and Nevis | Speaker, “Law Librarianship from a Caribbean Law Librarian’s Perspective” |
| 2021 | No recipient due to COVID-19 Pandemic | |
| 2020 | No recipient due to COVID-19 Pandemic | |
| 2019 | Mariya Badeva-Bright, South Africa | Speaker, 鈥淎frican Law for Everyone: African LII and Laws.Africa鈥 (slides | ) |
| 2018 | Daniela Reis, Brazil | Speaker, 鈥淧rofessional Profile Survey of the Law Librarian in the State of S茫o Paulo, Brazil鈥 |
| 2017 | Rosemarie Rogers, New Zealand | Speaker,聽“I am the River and the River is Me” |
| 2016 | Rheny Pulungan, Australia | Speaker, “The Legal Research Landscape in Indonesia: Limitations and Possibilities” |
| 2015 | Atarino Helieisar, Federated States of Micronesia | Speaker: “The Federated States of Micronesia Supreme Court Law Libraries: Bridging Legal Information in the FSM States & Beyond” |
| 2014 | Irene Kraft, Netherlands | Speaker: “Envisioning the World’s International Criminal Law Library at the International Criminal Court “ |
| 2013 | Bard Sverre Tuseth, Norway | Speaker: Nordic Legal Cooperation and its Impact on Legal Research (pdf) |
| 2012 | Priya Rai, India | Speaker: Access to Indian Legal Information in a Digital Environment: A Comparative Study of Electronic Commercial Databases and Public Domain Resources in Law: powerpoint and |
| 2011 | Gloria Orrego Hoyos, Argentina | Speaker: |
| 2010 | Ufuoma Lamikanra, Nigeria | Speaker: (podcast) |
| 2009 | Ahmadullah Masoud, Afghanistan | |
| 2008 | Leanne Cummings, Australia | Speaker: Current Trends within the Australian Economy and Legal Industry, and its Impact upon Law Librarians (pdf) |
| 2007 | Cheng Zhen, China | Panelist: Publication of Chinese Legal Materials |
| 2006 | Hind Al-Helaly, Egypt | Speaker: The Egyptian Legal System ( ppt) |
| 2005 | Irma Aladashvili, Georgia | Speaker: CIS and Eastern European Law Interest Group |
| 2004 | Milagros Santos-Ong, Philippines | Article: Report of the 糖心视频 (糖心视频) Meeting & Conference (pdf) |
| 2003 | Emmanuel Mensah Darkey, Ghana | Article: Memories of the 96th Annual 糖心视频 Meeting in Seattle (pdf) |
| 2001 | Sania Battalova, Kyrgyz Republic | Article: First recipient of the New Ellen Schaffer Foreign Librarian’s Grant Attends 糖心视频 Annual Meeting; Sania’s Follow-up Report (pdf) |
FCIL-SIS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS OF MANY DONORS!
Despite valuable support from 糖心视频, FCIL, vendors, and individual 糖心视频 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 recipients have to say聽about the Grant and their experiences at the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting. Contributions should be sent directly to 糖心视频. To contribute, visit the 鈥淒onate鈥 portion of the 糖心视频 website and contribute online, or fill out and send in the form from the 糖心视频 website. Make your check payable to 鈥溙切氖悠碘 or 鈥溙切氖悠;鈥 please write 鈥淪chaffer Grant鈥 in the 鈥淔or鈥/鈥漀ote鈥 portion of the check. Checks together with completed forms may be mailed to:
糖心视频
230 West Monroe Street, Suite 2650
Chicago, IL 60606
糖心视频 is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and these contributions may be tax-deductible.
FCIL SCHAFFER GRANT FOR FOREIGN LAW LIBRARIANS SELECTION COMMITTEE
| Joseph Hinger (Chair) Director of Collection Management and Member Relations LLMC 8011 34th Ave. S. Suite 245 Minneapolis, MN 55425 612.445.9235 joseph@llmc.com |
Sherry L. Leysen Reference Librarian University of California Los Angeles Law School 385 Charles E Young Dr E Room 1112 Los Angeles, CA 90095 310.794.5405 leysen@law.ucla.edu |
| Mark Engsberg Director of Library Services and Professor of Practice Emory University School of Law Hugh F. MacMillan Law Library 1301 Clifton Road NE Atlanta, GA 30322-2770 404.727.6983 mengsbe@emory.edu |
Paul Moorman Senior Law Librarian, Research Services/Foreign and International Law and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law University of Southern California Gould School of Law 699 Exposition Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90089-0071 213.740.2626 pmoorman@law.usc.edu |

