IPSWICH, Mass. — April 29, 2019 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) has awarded ten scholarships, including three new awards specifically for international recipients, to attend the 2019 ALA Annual Conference. The scholarships are in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA). The scholarships aim to help the winning librarians defray the cost of travel and other expenses so they can take advantage of the conference’s professional development and networking opportunities.
International Scholarship Winners:
- Elizabeth Wangari Mwangi, Library Assistant/MLIS Student, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (first-time attendee)
- Olivia Kerubo Ongera, Library Assistant, South Eastern Kenya University, Kitui, Kenya (first-time attendee)
- Marie-Eve Berthiaume, Student Librarian, HEC Montreal, Montreal, Canada (first-time attendee)
EBSCO/ALA Scholarship Winners:
- Rebecca J. Campbell, Adult Services Manager, Eustis Memorial Library, Eustis, Florida
- Tracy S. Drake, Archivist/Librarian, Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois
- Alice Erickson, MLIS Student, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (first-time attendee)
- Aubrey Iglesias, Cataloging Librarian, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Ji Hye Lee, Electronic Cataloging Librarian, Nova Southeastern University Libraries, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (first-time attendee)
- Ayaba Logan, Research and Education Informationist/Assistant Professor, Medical University of South Carolina Library, Charleston, South Carolina
- Brianna N. Thurman, Administrative Support Specialist, Gaston County Public library and Library Student, East Carolina University, Gastonia, North Carolina (first-time attendee)
As part of the application process, international applicants were asked to write an essay discussing how technology can help them face some of the current challenges in their libraries. Award winner Marie-Eve Berthiaume said that the advancement of technology will help with productivity in the library. “Technology could address the automation and execution of repetitive, time-consuming tasks such as cataloguing, programmed searches and current awareness using sophisticated Boolean operators and keyword combinations, it would help librarians and researchers be more productive.”
Traditional applicants were asked to share how attending the conference will contribute to their professional development. Award winner Brianna Thurman wrote about the impact that the conference has on a young library student who is the “blazing bright future of a field.” She wrote, “being a first-time attendee and recent graduate will allow me to use this professional development opportunity to sketch out my first contributions to our field as a degree-holding librarian. This work is my purpose, one that I have been lucky to know and pursue early in life.”
EBSCO is dedicated to supporting the library community around the world and maintains a long-standing 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 scholarship breakfast.
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 11,000 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 1,000,000 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
