The Rachel Chan Memorial Grant honours the legacy of Rachel Chan, a beloved University of Calgary librarian and dedicated FLA Executive member. Known for her positivity, cheerfulness, and unwavering commitment, Rachel brought light and energy to the library community.
Her passing in 2010 left a profound void, but through this grant, the FLA aims to continue her spirit of joy and dedication, supporting the profession and community she so passionately served.
The Rachel Chan Memorial Grant is here to support our members in advancing their professional growth and engagement. This $500 grant is designed to assist FLA members with limited or no access to funding, enabling them to attend a library conference that aligns with their professional interests and work. Grant funds may be used to cover registration fees, accommodation, and/or travel expenses.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the Rachel Chan Memorial Grant, applicants must:
- Be a current FLA member in good standing.
- Not be serving as a current member of the FLA executive.
- Agree to submit eligible conference-related receipts within two weeks of their return.
- Provide a brief written summary of their conference experience to share with FLA members.
Application Priorities
When reviewing applications, priority will be given to members who:
- Receive little or no funding from other sources (e.g. employer-paid grants or other library association grants).
- Have not attended a professional conference in the past two years.
- Are presenting at the conference.
- Have previously served on the FLA Executive.
Grant Disbursement
The grant amount will be awarded upon submission of proof of expenses to the FLA Treasurer.
To apply for this grant, please fill out this form. For additional details, please contact us. Take advantage of this opportunity to grow professionally and contribute to our vibrant library community!
Past Recipients
2025: Ashlyn Weis — St. Mary’s University
“The Archives Institute is a comprehensive week-long course that introduces the basic building blocks of archival work, run by the Archives Society of Alberta. As a small institution with a budding archive and no one in our library familiar with archives and archival theory, receiving the Rachel Chan Memorial Grant to help attend this course has been extremely helpful. Because of the size of our institution, our professional development budget is small, so any monetary help for one of us really helps us all.
It has been immensely valuable to have someone attend this institute, for both myself as beneficial professional development, as well as our institution, as it means we now have a person with some knowledge of archival processes. The instructors teaching the course were extremely knowledgeable about the areas they covered and were very willing to answer any questions we had. We were also able to do some exercises in archival work in order to solidify our knowledge of each new concept taught to us. We
discussed many topics regarding archives, starting with acquisition of archival items, continuing through adding these items to the collection, to discussing what happens
when disaster strikes. We also talked about preserving items, both digital and physical, and ensuring items are accessible to the public where appropriate. We got a tour of the
City of Edmonton Archives, enabling us to see a proper functioning archive in person, to see how they maintain their collection for longevity. We also got some hands-on
experience in some preservation techniques that still allow for accessibility to the items.
Overall, it has made me feel more confident in how to move forward with our own archives. Thank you so much for the assistance!”
Foothills Library Association 