At DCLA’s 2015 Awards Ceremony on the beautiful Drexel University rooftop, DCLA members welcomed the following new and continuing board members: Yvonne Dooley, Vice-President/President Elect, Victor Benitez, Secretary, Eboni Henry, Advocacy Director, and Kimberly Knight, Career & Leadership Development Director. Christina Miracle Bailey highlighted some of the accomplishments of her presidency and passed on the President’s Gavel to Julius C. Jefferson, Jr. Beacher J.E. Wiggins, Director for Acquisitions & Bibliographic Access at Library of Congress, received the 2015 Ainsworth Rand Spofford President's Award and Victor Benitez, The Labs at D.C. Public Library, received the Elizabeth W. Stone Outstanding New Leader Award.
The 2015 Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan Recipient: Melanie Medina
At DCLA’s 2015 Awards Ceremony on the beautiful Drexel University rooftop, the 2015 Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan was presented to Catholic University Library School student Melanie Medina.
Melanie Medina is a graduate student in the Library and Information Science program at The Catholic University of America. Actively engaged in the communities where she lives and works, Melanie is committed to supporting students in service of their own education goals. Melanie provides library instruction, reference services, and support in both English and Spanish, and aims to spend her career serving diverse communities in ways they themselves feel is most beneficial. Melanie received her BA from Smith College, and now volunteers as a Smith College Alumnae Admissions Coordinator, where her focus is on increasing the number of minority and community college transfer applicants from the Washington, DC area.
This year’s DCLA Student Financial Assistance Committee was composed of JenniferManning, Victor Benitez, Jessica McGilvray and (past Fine Loan recipient) Matthew Plank.
To learn more about the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan and its past recipients, click here: http://www.dcla.org/student_winners. To donate to our Student Loan Program so we can continue to support future information professionals in the DC area, please visit: http://www.dcla.org/Donate.
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.
