The SSP Travel Grants Daily Dozen

By Will Wakeling, Acting Dean of Libraries, Northeastern University

New to the profession and looking for ways to improve your industry-wide knowledge and connections? Managing staff new to publishing and looking for ways you can encourage and inform them? Searching for meaningful and visible ways for your company to offer sponsorship? Well, look no further than the 2008 SSP Annual Meeting Travel Grants! But go to the SSP Web site soon, as the closing date for applications is March 15.

Here are a dozen good reasons to apply for a travel grant, encourage an application, or sponsor one.

• There are 10 of them; so the chances of success are, well, huge!
• It's a great deal! Successful applicants get a completely free registration to the Annual Meeting May 28-30 in Boston, a $675 value.
• But wait, there's more! The winners are also eligible for reimbursement of up to $1,000 in travel and lodging expenses -
• and in addition the individuals receive free membership in SSP for the rest of 2008, which ensures member discounted rates for all other SSP training seminars and events.
• Sponsors get their names up in lights both in forthcoming publicity associated with the Annual Meeting and at the Meeting itself (contact Dan Tonkery).
• Award winners get their names up in lights, with a chance to improve their career prospects and bring kudos to their companies.
• It's an education! Early career professionals attending the Annual Meeting will get all the benefits of the program's state-of-the-art presentations, panels, and discussions.
• Networking! The Annual Meeting is positively the best way for people just starting in the profession to make new connections with colleagues and share experiences in an informal setting.
• Great mentoring! Award winners are matched with experienced publishing professionals to help them get the best from the Annual Meeting and from their SSP membership.
• Feed your literary and creative urges: Winners get a chance to write up their experiences at the Annual Meeting for publication in SSP News.
• Applying for a grant is easy: Go now to the SSP home page and click the link in the Travel Grants article.