29 April 2019
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:
- Marie-Eve Berthiaume, Student Librarian, HEC Montreal, Montreal, Canada (first-time attendee)
- 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)
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.
“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.”
Marie-Eve Berthiaume
Traditional applicants were asked to share how attending the conference will contribute to their professional development.
“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.”
Brianna Thurman