We have the pleasure to announce that this year's Karen Sternheim Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to Michelle Gorospe and Allison Schulte (click to read their statement), two students who have distinguished themselves in meaningful, and quite different, ways that exemplify the very best in our profession.
The Scholarship Committee came away from this year's judging process convinced that the profession is in very good hands. Together, all of the applicants and their essays revealed a new generation of librarians who are not only forward-reaching in their thinking, but aware that they are building on a long tradition of good scholarship.
But two in particular stood out, equally so, and for very different reasons; the judges finally decided on a split decision -- something that has happened only once before in the history of the Sternheim Scholarship.
Allison and Michelle focused on issues of profound importance to 21st century librarians; although their topics were quite different, we felt that each demonstrated a deep passion for her subject, and that this holds the promise of bringing these messages to the wider profession as these two students pursue their careers.
Michelle, who works full-time as the Stacks Supervisor at UCLA Law Library while taking a full class load in the UCLA MLIS program, listed her special librarianship areas of interest as "law libraries and special collections in general, and preservation and collection development in particular." For her, the issues of assuring authenticity and integrity in digital documents is one of the greatest challenges facing special librarians today, regardless of their domain.
Allison, a full-time student in the SLIS program at SJSU, a clerk for Los Angeles Public Library, and the librarian at the Tom of Finland Foundation (Tom was a renowned artist of gay male erotica), finds her passion "in providing information to under served communities and preserving archives that are often culturally devalued and go unprotected." For her, the difficult balance between assuring freedom of access to information amid community-imposed limitations is more pressing than ever.
These issues, and many others, will require thoughtful professionals not only to raise awareness, but to guide best practice and help special libraries navigate them in the coming years. The judges were convinced that in Michelle and Allison, special libraries will have two very special advocates.
Allison and Michelle will recieve their awards this fall at the SCC-SLA chapter awards dinner, a date for which is expected to be announced soon. They also will be recognized at the chapter's annual Sternheim Scholarship fundraiser, scheduled from 4:30-8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Los Angeles County Arboretum.
Please join us in congratulating Allison and Michelle. We extend our thanks and gratitude to all the candidates, as well as to the committee members:
Rita Costello, Director, UCLA Rosenfeld Management Library
Keith Gurtzweiler, Vice President, Recruiting, Library Associates,
Vicky McCargar, Archivist, Mount St. Mary's College
Please mark the fundraiser date -- Sept. 26, 2009 -- on your calendars, and plan to attend what promises to be a fun and entertaining gathering.
