For immediate release | June 20, 2025
Elizabeth Harmer Selected as the 2025 Christopher Hoy/ERT Scholarship Recipient
The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce the selection of Elizabeth Harmer of Riverside, California as the 2025 Christopher Hoy/ERT Scholarship recipient.
The scholarship was named after a long-time ALA staff member who directed the ALA Conference Services Office for more than 20 years. This scholarship fund was established with donations from Christopher J. Hoy and the Exhibits Round Table (ERT) to honor his memory. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a person pursuing a master's degree in library and information studies.
Having a parent who worked at the local library when she was a child played a significant role in shaping Harmer’s career journey. Harmer says, “libraries have been an enormous, formative part of her life.” As a child visiting the library often, she discovered many resources offered in the library. As a high school student, Harmer worked as a library page. As an undergraduate, she worked with children on reading programs during the summers. Following graduation, Harmer worked as an information clerk, a library technician, and a library assistant in various libraries. These experiences helped Harmer to “understand that a librarian’s skill is much like a detective’s ─you must know the right questions to ask.” Harmer indicated that she also ”learned that libraries are about far more than books or reference materials; a library is a place that can be an inclusive community hub.”
Currently, Harmer works as a library assistant at Yorba Linda Public Library (Calif.). Harmer says the things she finds most valuable about working in libraries are “the many ways the library allows her to contribute to members of her community while also providing opportunities to spend time in a vibrant setting that both interests and excites her.”
Harmer attends San Jose State University (California).
For information on the ALA Scholarship program, visit our scholarship page.
The ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) manages the ALA Scholarship Clearinghouse.
Contact:
Kimberly L. Redd, MSHTM
Program Manager, Certification & Talent Development
Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR)
klredd@ala.org800-545-2433 x4279
