The Society Circle was formed in 2003 to serve as the Society's fundraising organization.
Anyone who donates to ARLIS/NA is automatically part of the Society’s giving circle. Society Circle members directly support the mission of ARLIS/NA through their contributions. A list of donation levels and benefits is on the Donate Now page.
Donations help support all areas of ARLIS/NA, including special travel awards for the annual conference. Society Circle members have supported these awards since the Circle's founding in 2003.
The Circle supports the following special and conference-related activities:
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Conference Speakers Fund
The Conference Speakers Fund supports attendance costs and a small honorarium for non-ARLIS/NA member speakers at the annual conference.
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Internship Fund
The fund goes to support the Wolfgang M. Freitag Internship Award which provides financial support for students preparing for a career in art or architecture librarianship, or visual resources curatorship.
The internship aims to represent the multifaceted nature of the field by providing internship opportunities to students currently enrolled in, or having completed within the last 12 months, a graduate program in library/information science, art history, architectural history, architecture, studio art, or museum studies. The grant supports a 150 hour internship in an art library or visual resources collection.
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Conference Speakers of Color Fund
The Conference Speakers of Color Fund, formerly known as the Alternative Voices Fund, was established in 2008 to bring a diversity of voices to the ARLIS/NA annual conference by encouraging participation by speakers of color who are not Society members. The fund supports attendance costs and a small honorarium for selected speakers who self-identify as persons of color. All donations to the fund will count towards your Society Circle membership.
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Travel Grant Fund
Funding opportunities for members and non-members who wish to attend the ARLIS/NA annual conference.
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International Relations Study Tour Scholarship
The International Relations study tour scholarship was established in 2017 to allow an early-career ARLIS/NA member to participate in the annual study tour abroad organized by the International Relations Committee. This competitive scholarship offers financial assistance for global professional development opportunities. The study tour gives an early-career ARLIS/NA member the transformative benefit of deepening their knowledge of global collections, practices, and engagement with colleagues abroad. All donations to the scholarship fund will count towards your Society Circle membership.
Impact of Awards
The year I received the Internship Award (2001) was the first time it was awarded. The committee had worked so hard to get the award established and there was so much excitement about it - the experience gave me a strong sense that ARLIS/NA was an organization of people highly committed to the future of ARLIS/NA and art librarianship as a whole. The internship experience gave me excellent concrete experience to put on my resume. I also received mentoring from librarians at the University of Texas, Austin where my internship was hosted, as well as from members of the internship award committee. As someone new to the art library profession, it made a big impact. Through the ARLIS/NA members I encountered, I saw a very positive facet of the organization that I have tried to replicate throughout my career and through my ARLIS/NA activities. The whole experience inspired me to actively participate in the organization. I was subsequently asked to serve on the committee for the internship award, which gave me a foothold into ARLIS/NA. I learned how to network and became more confident in volunteering for ARLIS/NA projects. Later on, I was nominated to serve as an ARLIS/NA Executive Board member and served as its President – so I think we can safely say this award really helped jump-start my dream career!
- Heather Gendron: Internship Award 2001, 2016 ARLIS/NA President
Read more stories from those supported by the funds of Society Circle members.
2019-2020 Society Circle Members
(September 2019 - June 2020)
Founder's Circle
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Joan Benedetti (in honor of Jon Evans) Sherman Clarke (in memory of Williame Dane) Milan Hughston |
Roger Lawson Kay Teel Kathryn M. Wayne
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President's Circle
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Shalimar Abigail Fojas White |
Kevin Mullen |
Patron's Circle
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Hannah Bennett (in honor of Carole Ann Fabian) |
Douglas Litts |
Member's Circle
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Ann Abid |
Lyn Korenic (in memory of William Bunce) |
Contributor's Circle
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Amy Ballmer |
Jessica Evans Brady |
Past Founder's Circle Members
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2018 Joan Benedetti 2017 Joan Benedetti 2016 Joan Benedetti 2015 Joan Benedetti 2014 Joan Benedetti 2013 Joan Benedetti 2012 Joan Benedetti |
2011 Joan Benedetti 2009 Joan Benedetti 2008 Joan Benedetti 2007 Joan Benedetti 2006 Joan Benedetti 2005 Nancy Allen (in honor of Caroline Backlund) 2004 Joan Benedetti |