Librarians earn funding to help them grow professionally, better serve their users, and advance the field of librarianship

Birmingham, Ala. –- June 6, 2012 – In co-sponsorship with the American Library Association (ALA), EBSCO awarded seven librarians $1,000 scholarships to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim June 21-26, 2012. As part of the application process, librarians were asked to explain how attending the ALA Annual Conference will contribute to their professional development.

The seven scholarship recipients are Aimee Babcock-Ellis, Librarian, University of Maryland, Bethesda, Md.; Yu-Hui Chen, Bibliographer and Outreach Librarian for Education, University at Albany, Albany, N.Y.; Susan K.S. Grigsby, Library Media Specialist, Elkins Pointe Middle School, Roswell, Ga.; Danielle Whren Johnson, Digital Access Librarian, Loyola/Notre Dame Library, Baltimore, Md.; Ann B. Perham, School Librarian, Needham High School, Needham, Mass.; Susan Ridgeway, Teacher Librarian, Wooster City Schools, Wooster, Ohio.

All of the winners explained how attending ALA Annual will enhance their professional development.

“School librarians are ‘Lone Rangers’: we collaborate with every teacher, yet we have no one with whom to exchange, brainstorm, and grow professionally,” said Perham.

“State and national conferences offer superior professional development opportunities.”

But their essays revealed another common theme: service. Our winners look forward to gaining skills that will help them better serve their users.

“My first duty as a librarian is to teach my students how to become information literate,” said Johnson. “Attending sessions at Annual on tools and techniques of instruction will help me become a more effective teacher, because I can learn new methods of instruction from other librarians that will benefit my students.”
Furthermore, they are focused on serving their fellow librarians by taking on and advancing in leadership roles in ALA.

“This conference is a prime venue for monitoring developments and best practices in academic librarianship, sharing research findings, and providing services to the library profession,” says Chen, who is a mentor of the 2011–2013 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Diversity Scholars. “I will attend events hosted by the ARL Diversity Program to offer guidance to potential future colleagues.”
The applications were judged by an ALA-appointed jury. This year’s jury was chaired by Julius C. Jefferson, Jr., information research specialist, Library of Congress, D.C., and included David A. Brackus, librarian, Jefferies & Company, Inc., Houston; Elizabeth Nelson, knowledge analyst, UOP, LLC, Des Plaines, Ill.; Tobi Oberman, head of circulation, Skokie Public Library, Skokie, Ill.; and Dawn J. Zeig, library media specialist, Malcolm S. Mackay School, Tenafly, N.J.
EBSCO and ALA representatives will host a breakfast honoring the scholarship recipients during the conference on Sunday, June 24.

EBSCO has sponsored scholarships to ALA conferences for more than 16 years, awarding scholarship money to be used for conference registration, travel and expenses. EBSCO will continue the tradition of awarding librarians again in 2013.

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 through our 30 offices worldwide and has more than 140 librarians on staff. To learn more about EBSCO’s products and services, visit www.ebsco.com.

Rossi Morris
Media Relations Coordinator
EBSCO Corporate Communications
P: 205-980-3885
F: 205-995-1636
www.twitter.com/EBSCOInfoSvcs