ALA Office for Diversity hosts DiversiTEA at 2011 Midwinter Meeting

CHICAGO – The ALA Council Committee on Diversity, the Diversity Research Grants Advisory Committee and the ALA Office for Diversity will host a DiversiTEA from 4 - 5:30 p.m. PST on Sunday Jan. 9 in the Hilton Bayfront, Room Aqua 314, during the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego.

The DiversiTEA launches the 2011 Diversity Research Grants call for applications and provides a forum for attendees to discuss current work in diversity research and explore the opportunities provided by the Diversity Research Grants program. 2010 Diversity Research Grant recipients Elizabeth Friese of the University of Georgia’s Department of Language and Literacy Education and Dr. Sandra Hughes-Hassell of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information & Library Science will discuss their experiences to date.

Since 2002, the office has sponsored the program to address critical gaps in the knowledge of diversity issues within library and information science. The application deadline is April 30.

The Diversity Research Grant consists of a one-time $2,000 award for original research and a $500 travel grant to attend and present at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference. A jury of ALA members will evaluate proposals and is encouraged to award up to three awards. Grant recipients will be announced ahead of the 2011 ALA Annual Conference and will be expected to compile the results of their research into a presentation for the 2012 ALA Annual Conference.

ALA’s Office for Diversity offers thanks to the Diversity Research Grants Advisory Committee for their work in planning the 2011 DiversiTEA: Veronica L.C. Stevenson-Moudamane (chair), Aimee Babcock-Ellis, Vickie E. Beene, Dr. Stanton F. Biddle, Eileen K. Bosch, Robert J. Bremer, Elizabeth Jean Brumfield, Nicole Lea Busch, Denyvetta Davis, Kim L. Eccles, Michael Gutierrez, Joyce E. Jelks, Raymond P. Schwartz, Susan Elizabeth Shepley, Kathryn Sigler and R. Niccole Westbrook

For more information on the Diversity Research Grants program, please visit www.ala.org/diversity, email diversity@ala.org or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 5295.