ALSC announces winners of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Melcher Scholarships

CHICAGO — The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) announced six scholarship winners for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Four winners were awarded the Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship which is made possible by Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. All four recipients will receive $7,000 in scholarship aid for the 2013-2014 academic year. The four recipients are: Ashley L. Dean, Poquoson, Va.; Marianne Dolce, Deltona, Fla.; Rebecca Lynn Dunn, Lawrence, Kan. and Casey Marie Fox, Knoxville, Tenn.

Two winners were awarded the Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship which is made possible by contributions from librarians, professionals and others associated with the field of children’s literature. This award is worth $6,000 in scholarship aid. The two recipients are: Tina Suzanne Groff, Pipe Creek, Texas, and Ginger Michelle Kirchmyer, Chattanooga, Tenn.

“It was really difficult for the committee to choose the final candidates this year, as we received so many applications from well-deserving candidates,” said ALSC Scholarship Committee chair Marianne Martens. “But we feel confident that the ones we selected will go on to bright careers in children’s librarianship, and hope they will become leaders in the field.”

Each year, ALSC provides the Bound to Stay Bound Books and Melcher Scholarships to help advance the profession of children’s librarianship. Recipients must complete their academic work at an ALA-accredited institution. Recipients are also expected to accept positions after graduation in the field of library service to children for at least one year.

ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at www.ala.org/alsc.

The 2013 ALSC Scholarship Committee includes: Dr. Marianne Martens, chair, Kent (Ohio) State University; Kris Dersch, Hamlin Robinson School, Seattle, Wash.; Susan Z. Melcher, Louisville, Ky.; Bianca Roberts, Tangipahoa Parish Library, Amite, La.; and Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua (N.Y.) Library.