Bursaries

The LILAC conference has two types of bursary for 2025; LILAC bursaries for under-represented groups and a new range of Local to LILAC bursaries for delegates living or working near to the LILAC conference venue.

To apply for a bursary, you must be a librarian, volunteer, or information professional working in the UK. To apply for a bursary you will need to register for an account; if you already have an account then you just need to login (go to the link top right of this webpage) and go to ‘my account’ where you’ll see details of how to apply. Complete the application form for the bursary you are applying for, confirming you have your line manager’s approval to attend, if successful. Winners will be randomly selected using a lottery system and will be notified early December if they have been successful.

Bursary applications are now closed.

LILAC bursaries

To have a truly engaging conference, we need delegates who bring a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. The LILAC conference is therefore offering five free places for people in the following under-represented groups in the UK:

• Ethnic minority backgrounds
• School libraries
• Further Education
• Public libraries
• Health libraries (e.g. NHS – please note; librarians working in Higher Education who support health subjects are not eligible to apply)

Each of the five bursaries will include three days at the conference and social events. They also include up to £250 in expenses for reasonable travel and accommodation.

Local to LILAC Bursaries

These bursaries are day delegate places, and we are offering two places for each day of the three-day conference. LILAC is committed to encouraging information professionals across the UK to attend LILAC, especially for those whom the cost or other commitments make attending all three days not always possible. We have created these six day delegate places, intended for people who live or work near to the LILAC venue, to have the chance to attend a day at LILAC and experience what the conference offers.

Each of the six bursaries will involve a free day place to one day of the conference and £50 for reasonable travel expenses. Please note that these bursary places do not include evening social events, in order to be as flexible as possible, but do include lunch and refreshments on the day.