Careers
STUDENT
ARLIS/UK & Ireland – Global Majority Art Librarianship Scholarship
ARLIS UK & Ireland (The Art Libraries Society) are pleased to offer this ‘fees only’ scholarship for an individual undertaking a UK accredited Library, Information, or Archive Studies postgraduate qualification as a small first step towards addressing the ongoing underrepresentation of Black library workers and library workers of colour within art librarianship. The scholarship will be awarded annually (subject to financial stability), with details and the application form made available from the ARLIS UK & Ireland website, usually advertised in late Spring each year.
We acknowledge that art librarianship in the UK and Ireland continues to be overwhelmingly white. The 2015 UK information sector workforce survey found the profession to be 96.7% white. This reinforces the urgency and importance of steps to increase global majority access to qualifications which often remain a prerequisite for entry to the profession and development to senior roles. While we do not uncritically support the need for a qualification to perform valuable work in libraries, we do believe that university fees are a significant barrier to entry for many. The scholarship is a key recommendation of the ARLIS Equity Steering Group, whose work we are grateful for.
We welcome applicants from Black, Asian or minority ethnic / Global Majority backgrounds. Students applying to any UK postgraduate (MA, MSc, PgDip, PgCert) course accredited by CILIP are eligible, but courses which include modules or studies relevant to art librarianship (such as placements at a member institution) may strengthen an application. Students applying for full-time, or part-time or modular courses are eligible, as are distance learning options. The successful applicant should be eligible for Home fees. Fees will be paid directly to the university.
Previous awards:
2025 award winner
Najma Farah
2024 award winner
Rhoda Adum Boateng
2023 award winners
Dinushi Bopearachchi
Rohwana Ogunbiyi
2022 Award winner
Shakira Rawlins
RESEARCH
ARLIS/UK & Ireland Research Awards
The ARLIS/UK & Ireland Research Awards are made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor and have been established to support the research activities of librarians, archivists and curators in the art, architecture and design documentation sector. The non-member award intends to open research opportunities to individuals from groups currently under-represented. The awards are made annually.
The award may be used for any purpose related to the research into the documentation of art, art librarianship or archival practice and may include travel within or outside the UK and Ireland, event attendance, and visits to libraries, collections and institutions (excluding events organised by ARLIS UK & Ireland itself).
There are two awards, one for a member of ARLIS and one for a non-member.
Members Research Award up to £1500.
Non-members Research Award up to £1000.
Check back soon for details of the next award application period.
Previous awards:
2026 award winners
Tavian Hunter, Iniva
Morwenna Peters, UWE Bristol
2025 award winners
Aoife Larkin, Leeds Arts University
Francisca Fuentes Rettig
2024 award winners
Suzanna Hall, Arts University Bournemouth. Read the report.
Billie Coxhead (UAL), Fiona Dowling and Morwenna Peters (both UWE Bristol). Read the report.
2023 award winner
Jessa Mockridge, Goldsmiths, University of London.
2022 award winners
Lydia Julien, Ravensbourne College.
Sae Matsuno, Stuart Hall Library, Iniva. Read the report.
Travel & Study Fund winners (succeeded by Research Awards)
2019 award winners
Hannah Dunne-Howrie, National Art Library, V&A Museum. Hannah attended the CILIP Copyright Conference.
Eleanor Gawne, Architectural Association School of Architecture. Eleanor attended the ARCLIB conference, in Venice, May 2019.
2018 award winner
Salva Bellavia, Christie’s Education, London. Salva’s project addressed the challenges of art librarianship practice in the context of a museum for queer representation, involving a study visit to the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York.
Alexandra Duncan, Central Saint Martins (UAL). Alex presented a paper at the ARLIS/NA 2018 Conference in New York.
CONFERENCE
Attend our conference with a bursary or student award
ARLIS UK & Ireland is offering six bursaries and two student awards to attend ‘Challenging Collections’, our 2026 conference in Leeds, 6-8 July at the Carriageworks Theatre.
See below for eligibility criteria and further information. The deadline for applications is sunday 31 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Bursary places include a complimentary delegate ticket for the full conference, plus funding towards to travel and expenses. These bursaries are designed to address the underrepresentation and marginalisation of certain groups of people within the sector from traditional conference programmes.
Applications are welcomed from individuals working in roles adjacent or related to art librarianship, including librarians, archivists, artists, curators, cultural producers and interpreters, and researchers. Membership of ARLIS UK & Ireland is not required.
To be eligible for a bursary place, you must self-identify with one or more of the following groups:
- Global majority attendees
- Those for whom English is a second language
- LGBTQIA+ attendees
- Disabled people/people with disabilities (including physical, learning and mental health related impairments)
- Deaf attendees
- Neurodiverse attendees
- Attendees from working class/lower socioeconomic backgrounds
Bursaries will be awarded by lottery. In the interest of intersectional equity, individuals who identify with more than one of the above criteria will receive additional entries into the lottery for each marginalised identity.
Three bursary places are offers to applicants based in England, and three to those based in Scotland, Wales or Ireland. Each bursary includes a free ticket to the full conference, including the conference dinner and drinks reception, plus expenses up to the value of £500.
Student awards give current students of Librarianship and/or Information Studies free access to the conference, plus funding towards travel and accommodation expenses.
This is an opportunity for students to:
- Learn more about the range of visual arts library activity in the UK, Ireland and beyond.
- Explore the nature and variety of arts librarianship as a specialisation
- Be introduced to the work and wider network of ARLIS UK & Ireland
- Build skills and confidence networking within the sector
The successful applicants will receive free tickets to the full conference, including Dinner and Drinks Reception, and expenses up to the value of £500. Each recipient will be required to submit a post-conference report, which will be published on the ARLIS website and may be used in future conference publicity.
Applicants must be full- or part-time working for a first degree or postgraduate qualification in Librarianship, Information Studies or other related discipline. Membership of ARLIS UK & Ireland is not required. Winners must be able to confirm in writing that they are able to meet the terms of the award and provide evidence of enrolment at University or College.
One award will be offered to a student in England, and one to a student in Scotland, Wales or Ireland. Unfortunately we are unable to support international students in conference attendance. Concessionary rates are available for students to attend the conference both in person or online. See our Booking page for more information.