The Friends of the San Diego Public Library (FSDPL) established the John McAllister Memorial Library Scholarships in 2012. John McAllister, who served as FSDPL President from 2009 to 2011, believed that both quality library staff and the FSDPL were integral parts of a successful San Diego Public Library System. Accordingly, the opportunity to apply for these scholarships is open to all full-time and part-time staff members working at the San Diego Public Library.

The John McAllister Library Memorial Scholarship program has an educational option and a conference option. The education scholarship may be applied towards registration fees, tuition, books, or other related school expenses. The conference scholarship may be applied to registration for the American Library Association Annual Conference, and a 1-year membership to ALA.

All applicants must be a full- or part-time employee of the San Diego Public Library, must complete the attached application, must submit a letter of recommendation from a supervisor in the SDPL system, and must submit a personal statement regarding a contribution or innovative idea the applicant has implemented in support of the library system.

Applicants for an educational scholarship must be currently enrolled in a Certificate or Degree curriculum in Library Science, Information Management, or related subject area; must have already completed at least one course in their subject area, and must submit an unofficial copy of the most recent college transcript with their application. If selected, the scholarship recipient will be required to submit an official transcript for verification of enrollment prior to disbursement of funds.