LITA / LSSI Minority Scholarship in Library and Information Technology

The LITA/LSSI Minority Scholarship, established in 1994, is awarded annually by the Library and Information Technology Association, a division of the American Library Association, and Library Systems and Services in the amount of $2,500.00.

The scholarship is designed to encourage the entry of qualified persons into the library and automation field who plan to follow a career in that field; who demonstrate potential in, and a strong commitment to the use of automated systems in libraries; and who are qualified members of a principal minority group (American Indian or Alaskan native, Asian or Pacific Islander, African-American, or Hispanic). The recipient must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen. This scholarship is for study in an ALA Accredited Master of Library Science (MLS) program.

Candidates should illustrate their qualifications for this scholarship with a statement indicating the nature of library experience, by letters of reference, and by the personal statement of the applicant's view of what he or she can bring to the profession, emphasizing experiences which indicate a potential for leadership and commitment to library automation. Candidates must not have earned more than 12 credit hours towards a Master of Library Science degree from an ALA Accredited MLS program.

The winner is announced and introduced, if present, at the LITA President's Program held during the Annual Conference of the American Library Association.

The OCLC / LSSI Scholarship Committee reviews the applications and selects the scholarship winner.

Application forms and instructions are available at ALA/Divisions Scholarship Program . All applications, references, and transcripts and other documents must be received no later than March 1st, for that year's scholarship.

The following have received the LITA/LSSI Scholarship in Library and Information Technology to date:

  • Melaine R. Moon, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 1995
  • Maurice O. Okereke, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 1996
  • Rosemarie Leon, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 1997
  • Mantra Henderson, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 1998
  • Ting Yin, Simmons College, Boston, MA, 1999
  • Tanya Brown, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 2000
  • Marla Peppers, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 2001
  • Pete Villasenor, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 2002
  • Vynarack Xaykao, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 2003
  • Sandra D'Souza, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 2004
  • Han Nguyen, University of California, Los Angeles, 2005
  • Van Bich Thi Tran, Queens College, Flushing, NY, 2006
  • Lydia C. Welhan, Indiana University, 2007
  • Tiffany Chao, University of Michigan, 2008
  • Diane Kay Doctor, University of Washington, 2009
  • Julianna Barrera-Gomez, University of Michigan, 2010
  • Andrea L. Galbo, University of Pittsburgh, 2011
  • Brenda Bridgett Carrillo, San Jose State University, 2012
  • Elizabeth Tham, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, 2013
  • Jason N. Toms, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, 2014
  • Jesus Espinoza, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015
  • Renee Romero, UCLA Department of Information Studies, 2016

Visit the LITA Awards & Scholarships page for information on additional LITA scholarships.