The Walter Gerboth Research Award was founded in 1984 by the Music Library Association to honor Past-President Walter Gerboth, librarian, teacher, mentor, leader in the Music Library Association, and pathmaker in music librarianship. The Walter Gerboth Award enables MLA to recognize promising work by its newer members (a group to which Walter Gerboth gave special encouragement) and new researchers, to support scholarship in music, music bibliography and librarianship, and to honor the memory of one of MLA's most distinguished and loved members. Preference will be given to newer MLA members (within your first decade), as well as to MLA members regardless of length of service who are new to research.

If an award is offered, applicants must be MLA members in good standing in order to accept.

An award of up to $2,000 is available for 2025. Applications are being accepted until September 15, 2024 for the 2025 Gerboth Award.

Eligibility

As stated above, preference will be given to newer MLA members (within your first decade), as well as to MLA members regardless of length of service who are new to research.

For those with an LIS degree (MLS or equivalent):

• You must have received your degree within the previous ten years (whether you have been working within the profession, or working independently researcher/lecturer/consultant/scholar in the LIS field); OR
• You have been recently hired into your first full-time professional library position that has required research obligations and have not yet received tenure/continuing appointment (please include documentation of library and institutional criteria for promotion and tenure detailing research expectations);

For those without an LIS degree:

• You should be employed full-time as a library staff member and be seeking support for your first research project in music or music librarianship.

To apply, please email the Committee Chair (Janice Bunker, janice_bunker@byu.edu) and include the following documents:

• A summary of the project including a statement about its significance, progress made thus far, future plans, and details about how requested funds will be used (sample document 1) (sample document 2)
• A detailed total budget, specifying the amount of funding requested from MLA (up to the award maximum) and its purpose. Indicate any other sources of funding you may have already secured. (See Expenses, below, and sample budget forms.)
• A curriculum vitae
  
• Two letters of recommendation written by two different people
  • Letters should be sent directly to the Committee Chair by the letter writers and not included in the application email

 Additional documentation may be requested by the committee.

Successful award recipients may be asked to provide a concise description of their project suitable for publicity purposes.

Expenses

Eligible expenses, typical examples; all require demonstrated relevance to research project:

• Travel costs to conduct: research at libraries, archives, museums, or other locations housing research material; in-person interviews; field recordings; etc.
• Fees for services such as translations, transcriptions, data analysis, etc.
• Supplies or services to be used specifically for the project: short-term subscription to online survey software, short-term software license, short-term audiovisual equipment rental, postage, etc.

Ineligible expenses, typical examples:

• Reimbursement for past activity or expenditures
• Costs associated with attendance of conferences or training workshops (e.g., registration, housing, transportation)
• Capital expenses/Permanent equipment
  

Award

Award recipients shall provide a report on their research progress within one year of receipt. Applicants are encouraged to additionally follow up after that time to report publications, online resources, or otherwise completed and accessible projects.

Recipients will be notified in advance of the registration deadline for the MLA 2025 meeting. If you have any questions about the award or applicant eligibility, please contact the committee chair (Janice Bunker, janice_bunker@byu.edu).