CHICAGO — In co-sponsorship with the American Library Association (ALA), EBSCO Information Services has awarded seven librarians $1,000 scholarships to attend the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, June 25– 30, 2015. The EBSCO ALA Annual Conference Sponsorship is an annual award, established to allow librarians to attend the conference by defraying the cost of travel and other associated expenses. The goal of the award is to help facilitate the rich opportunities for professional development and networking that the conference offers librarians.
The scholarship winners, including four first-time conference attendees, are:
- Catherine Damiani, Digital Services Librarian, East Providence Public Library, East Providence, R.I.
- Jennifer Evans, director of library services, Western Texas College, Snyder, Texas (first time attendee)
- Lia Horton, reference and information literacy librarian, Wellehan Library at Saint Joseph’s College, Standish, Maine (first time attendee)
- Alison King, associate children’s librarian, Penn Wynne Library, Lower Merion Library System, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania (first time attendee)
- Breanne Kirsch, public services librarian, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Casey A. McCoy, program coordinator, Lincolnwood Public Library District, Lincolnwood, Illinois
- Tiffany Reitz, director of library resources, Beacon College, Leesburg, Florida (first time attendee)
As part of the application process, librarians were asked to write an essay explaining how attending the conference will contribute to their professional development. Alison King of the Penn Wynne Library in Pennsylvania discussed the importance of the conference in learning how other libraries are pursuing creative innovation and initiatives: “I know the best way to learn about the creative initiatives that other libraries have launched is to go to the ALA Annual Conference and hear from these innovators firsthand. I [will] fully embrace the spirit of the conference by attending every possible session, networking with other library professionals from all fields, and, most importantly, returning home recharged, enthusiastic, and primed to inspire and guide my colleagues to be innovators of exciting new programs and services.”
EBSCO is dedicated to supporting the library community around the world and maintains a long tradition of co-sponsoring scholarships to ALA conferences that provide funds for conference registration, travel, and expenses. The scholarship recipients will be honored by EBSCO and ALA representatives during the conference at a breakfast on Sunday, June 28.
Applications were judged by an ALA-designated jury: jury chairman Julius C. Jefferson Jr., information research specialist, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; Elizabeth Nelson, adjunct reference librarian, McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, Illinois; Marcellus Turner, city librarian, Seattle Public Library, Seattle; Sandy Wee, library services manager, San Mateo County Library, San Mateo, California; and Thomas C. Wilson, associate dean for technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
About ALA
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit professional organization of more than 57,000 librarians, library trustees, and other friends of libraries dedicated to providing and improving library services and promoting the public interest in a free and open information society: www.ala.org.
About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 8,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 700,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com
