GEORGE ATIYEH PRIZE
For Travel to the 2009 Annual Meetings of the
Middle East Librarians Association
and the Middle East Studies Association of North America

The Middle East Librarians Association (MELA) announces competition for the George Atiyeh Prize, for financial aid in attending this year's annual meetings of MELA (November 19-20, 2009) and of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) (November 21-24, 2009).  The conferences this year are being held in Boston, MA.

Awardees will receive a cash award of $250.00 and will have their registration fees for both MELA and MESA paid.  
Awardees agree to attend the entirety of both the MELA and MESA conferences, to allow their names and photographs to be used in any publicity by MELA or other organizations contacted by MELA, and to write a report on their conference experience, to be published in MELA Notes, the official journal of MELA.

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an ALA accredited library/information science program.

Please submit the following information no later than September 15, 2009 via e mail to at least one of the George Atiyeh Prize Committee members listed at the end of this announcement:

1.	Name, postal address, phone number, e mail address, and name of program in which currently enrolled
2.	Letter from the Admissions Officer or other official of your college or department, stating that you are a student in good academic standing
3.	Description of your academic, work related or other background in Middle East studies and/or librarianship
4.	Statement of your career goals, including a description of your current course of study
5.	Statement of why you wish to attend these meetings
6.	Names, postal addresses, phone numbers and e mail addresses of two references

Applicants will be notified of Prize awards no later than October 1, 2009 to allow ample time for pre registration for MESA.

The George Atiyeh Prize was founded by the Middle East Librarians Association in 1999 to honor George N. Atiyeh, retired Head of the Near East Section of the Library Congress, founding member of MELA and of the Middle East Microform Project, for his many contributions to Middle East librarianship and scholarship.  Dr. Atiyeh is the first and only honorary life member of MELA.

To submit applications, or for further information, please contact one of the following persons:

 
Christine Dykgraaf, Chair
Dept. of Near Eastern Studies
PO Box 210158B
Marshall Bldg. 460
Tucson, AZ 85721-0158
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Tel: (520) 260-6206
Fax: (520) 621-2333

Akram Khabibullaev
Indiana University-Bloomington
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Tel: (812) 855-9885




Jonathan Rodgers
Head, Near East Division, University of Mich. Library
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Postal address:  
Graduate Library
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor MI 48109-1205
Fax:(734) 763-6743