Aha! Kickstarter, perhaps? If 100 people put in $5...
Perhaps not for 2014, but to be folded into planning for the next one.
I also like the idea of voluntary "memberships" that fund scholarships.
kc
On 11/25/13 1:43 PM, Heller, Margaret wrote:
In past years there was a crowdfunded scholarship for people in difficult
financial circumstances. See
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg09183.html. Perhaps one
of the organizers of that could speak to its success. But that's definitely
something that people could organize if they were so inclined.
Margaret Heller
Digital Services Librarian
Loyola University Chicago
773-508-2686
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sarah
Shealy
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2013 3:28 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Code4lib 2014 Diversity Scholarships: Call for
Applications
It's honestly too late this year to change the entire scholarship system. I
don't disagree that it would be awesome to have scholarships for everyone who
has some sort of economic need, and this is a conversation that should be had.
But there's a lot that goes into opening something up based on economic status,
and while that work would be valuable and awesome, it's a little late in the
game for 2014. There's also the consideration of when to offer both gender and
need-based scholarships, since the number of scholarships are variable and if
there are only two to be awarded then the historic trend of ethnic/gender based
awards should probably be carried forward. Or not.
I would like to point out that for a lot of white men working in the tech
field, going to a local user group or conference is an easy thing and you get
to see people like you who do the things you do. I had to go to Chicago last
year (I live in SC - and I was a scholarship recipient) in order to see women
doing the same thing that I do. And it was pretty awesome. So I would vote for
always having the ethnic/gender based scholarship simply for the connection it
can give people - it honestly isn't something that be described. I went from
having no cultural touchstones in this area of my life to having several.
Hopefully this will help turn the tide from "rabble rabble rabble" to thinking
about ways to add to the system - not just overhaul the whole shebang. I would suggest
that some of you who are upset about how things are run sign up for the Scholarship
Committee next year and do some work from the inside. Because, again, you should have
raised your concerns before we sent out the call. The scholarships happen every year.
Sarah
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:09:23 +0100
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Code4lib 2014 Diversity Scholarships: Call for
Applications
To: [email protected]
Interesting discussion. May I suggest we level the playing field by moving
next year's conference to South Central Europe, say Pristina, Kosovo, or
Sarajevo, or Zagreb? We'd reach a whole new level of inclusiveness.
Carol Bean
On Nov 25, 2013, at 9:46 PM, Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
Finances are a limiting factor on conference attendance for people
of all demographic groups, and I would endorse plans to surmount that.
Code4Lib is, of course, one of the least expensive conferences you'll find. And
the community and organizers care a lot about keeping it so -- there are
sometimes disputes in a given year about whether the organizers could have kept
it even less expensive. But it's still, every year, one of the most affordable
conferences around.
Which is pretty darn awesome, and important.
That's pretty much what we do try and increase financial accessibility for
people of all demographic groups. We also try to switch the regional location
around the country every year, to even out transportation costs for for people
in different parts of the country.
If you can afford to go to any conference at all, you can afford for Code4Lib
to be that conference. Of course, there are people who can't afford to go to
any conference. Which is unfortunate. But I'm not sure what, if anything, is
being suggested we could do about that?
If you have or can find a source of funding willing to pay registration, hotel,
and transportation for anyone who can't afford it, then please feel free to
organize it to happen.
That's what the people who organized, and continue to organize, the diversity
scholarships did. They just organized it.
Jonathan
--
Karen Coyle
[email protected] http://kcoyle.net
m: 1-510-435-8234
skype: kcoylenet
