Introducing the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan & the Ainsworth Rand Spofford President's Award Recipients
Photo: Anita Kinney and Elizabeth Lieutenant, students at CUA, pictured with Victor Benitez, Abbey Yochelson and Jessica McGilvary, members of DCLA SFAC
At DCLA's 120th Anniversary Banquet and Awards Ceremony, Anita Kinney and Elizabeth Lieutenant, students at Catholic University, were presented with their Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan checks.
The Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loans are awarded based on a commitment to pursuing a professional career in the library and information science field, academic background, work experience and financial need. The loans may be forgiven upon evidence of superior academic achievement. To learn more about the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan and its past recipients, click here. Scroll down for Anita and Elizabeth's biographies.
Photo: Kenny Nero, Jr. pictured with Bobbie Dougherty, DCLA Membership Director, Rob von Schneider, D.C. Public Library, and Amanda J. Wilson, DCLA Immediate Past President
The Ainsworth Rand Spofford President's Award was presented to the D.C. Jail Library Coalition, Kenny Nero, Jr., Howard University Library, accepted the award. Scroll down for a description of the D.C. Jail Library Coalition
The Ainsworth Rand Spofford President's Award recognizes contributions to the development or improvement of library and information services as evidence by outstanding achievements in leadership, advocacy, outreach or the creative application of technology.
Anita Kinney's Bio:
Anita is beginning her second year in the MSLIS program at Catholic University. A native Portuguese speaker, she learned Spanish while living in Panama with her military family, and looks forward to using her language skills to connect with diverse audiences. She holds a BA in English (Judaic Studies) from Portland State University. Prior to attending library school, Anita worked to improve services for Spanish speakers in museum and public health settings. She holds paid internships at the National Archives, the DC Department of Transportation, and the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and is also a freelance journalist. Immediately after receiving the Ruth Fine award, Anita was hired for a new position as a “data analyst” to examine evaluation and metrics for the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. Anita looks forward to designing this new job and also to serving as the treasurer for the university's Graduate Student Association.
Elizabeth Lieutenant's Bio:
Elizabeth is an MSLIS Candidate at the Catholic University of America, where she anticipates graduating in 2016. She received a her BA in Social Sciences from Thomas Edison State College. She is employed as a Graduate Assistant for CUA's Department of Library and Information Science and is spending the summer working as an Exhibitions Intern for the Smithsonian Libraries Advancement Department. She was the co-creator of the first website for the Association of Graduate Library and Information Science Students at CUA and has blogged for the Special Libraries Association web series, “What I’m Learning in Library School.” Elizabeth is a fiercely egalitarian person who is inspired by the intersection between librarianship and social justice. She plans to devote her career to fostering inclusive communities, removing personal, institutional, and societal barriers to knowledge resources, and empowering others through informal and formal learning opportunities.
Description of the D.C. Jail Library Coalition:
Catalyzed by a Fall 2013 testimony given by Free Minds D.C., a non-profit that uses books and creative writing to grant inmates transformative power, to the D.C. Council's Education Committee voicing concerns about the D.C. Jail's increased suicide numbers and lack of a library, a group of community activists formed the D.C. Jail Coalition to campaign for libraries in the D.C. Jail. The coalition borrowed from the Montgomery County's (MD) and other models of jail libraries to craft and submit a proposal for D.C. correctional facilities to Mayor Gray and the D.C. Council. The coalition's efforts were successful, resulting in dedicated funds allocated for this effort supporting funding a full-time librarian, a part-time library aid and other initiatives such as job readiness, digital literacy and re-entry programs. The D.C. Jail library is expected to open in October 2014.
