~Emerging librarians receive funding for travel and conference expenses~

Birmingham, Ala. – June 8, 2011 – In co-sponsorship with the American Library Association (ALA), EBSCO awarded seven librarians $1,000 scholarships to attend the ALA Annual Conference June 23-28, 2011 in New Orleans.

The seven scholarship recipients are Megan Hodge, circulation supervisor, Randolph-Macon College, Glen Allen, Va.; Win Shih, director of integrated library systems, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Tina Chan, reference/instruction librarian, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, N.Y.; Miranda C. Rodriguez, instruction librarian, The Catholic University of America, D.C.; Carrie L. Waibel, executive assistant, Bexley Public Library, Westerville, Ohio; Elissia Buell, librarian, San Diego; and Jonathan Chima Ogugua, senior librarian, Federal University of Technology-Owerri, Owerri, Nigeria.

As part of the application process, EBSCO asked librarians to write an essay on the topic: "How will attending the ALA Annual Conference contribute to your professional development?” The recipients’ essays offer a variety of examples, including networking with other attendees, fulfilling ALA committee duties, broadening understanding of new library products and technologies, attending workshops to become aware of evolving trends in libraries and developing new services to better meet patron needs. One librarian winner, Ogugua, is traveling from Nigeria to the United States for the first time.

“I can't tell you how grateful I am to be selected as one of the scholarship recipients,” says Hodge. “Without this scholarship, attending Annual would have been a severe financial hardship. While I'm in New Orleans, I will present the results of my Emerging Leader project in a poster session, give another poster presentation, serve on an NMRT/LLAMA panel about leadership, and give a JobLIST Placement Center presentation in addition to seeking a new position after recently graduating from library school.”

The applications were judged by a jury designated by ALA. Jury members were John J. Meier, science librarian, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa.; Julius C. Jefferson, Jr., information research specialist, Library of Congress, D.C.; Elizabeth Nelson, knowledge analyst, UOP, LLC, Woodstock, Ill.; Georgie Lynn Donovan, coordinator, bibliographic services, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.; and Norice Lee, department head of access services, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M.

EBSCO and ALA representatives will host a breakfast honoring the scholarship recipients during the conference on Sunday, June 26.
EBSCO has sponsored scholarships to ALA conferences for more than 15 years, awarding scholarship money to be used for conference registration, travel and expenses. EBSCO will continue the tradition of awarding librarians again in 2012.
About ALA
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit professional organization of more than 65,000 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
Established in 1944, EBSCO is the world’s leading information agent providing consultative services and cutting-edge technology for managing and accessing quality content, including print and e-journals, e-packages, research databases, eBooks and more. Now more than ever libraries and research organizations are looking for new ways to manage their collections more efficiently. EBSCO has developed the most comprehensive “e” discovery and management solutions, offering unparalleled integration to help librarians save time and money while empowering their users.

EBSCO serves clients in more than 200 countries through our 31 offices worldwide with more than 140 librarians on staff. To learn more about EBSCO’s products and services, visit www.ebsco.com.

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Contact:
Heather Klusendorf
Media Relations Coordinator
EBSCO Corporate Communications
www.twitter.com/EBSCOInfoSvcs
hklusendorf@ebsco.com
205.995.1539

Cheryl Malden
ALA Program Officer
312-280-3247