ALSC awards Bound to Stay Bound and Melcher Scholarships to six students

CHICAGO – The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded six students the Bound to Stay Bound and Melcher Scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Four recipients 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 $8,000 in scholarship aid for the 2025-2026 academic year. The four recipients are Allison Alcena, attending University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ruadhan Hettrich, attending Rutgers University, New Jersey; Haley Neil, attending University at Buffalo, New York; and Amber O'Brien-VerHulst, attending San Jose State University, California.

Alcena is a Reading Interventionist at College Achieve Public Schools in New Jersey; Hettrich is an Early Literacy Coordinator at Boonton Holmes Public Library in Boonton, New Jersey; Neil is a Part-Time Youth Services Librarian at Wayland Public Library in Wayland, Massachusetts, a Children’s Department Library Assistant at Goodnow Library in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and an Author for Sourcebooks and Bloomsbury; O’Brien-VerHulst is Library Assistant II at Stanislaus County Library in Modesto, California.

Two students were awarded a Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship, which is made possible by contributions from librarians, professionals and others associated with the field of children’s literature. Each award provides $8,000 in scholarship aid for the 2025-2026 academic year. The two recipients are Yasmin Teja, attending University of South Florida, and Legna Rios, attending Dominican University, Illinois.

Teja is a Library Specialist at Broward County Libraries in Broward County, Florida and Rios is an After School Leader at the Free Library of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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 and demonstrate a commitment to library service to children. Recipients are also strongly encouraged to accept or hold positions after graduation in the field of library service to children for at least one year.

“Speaking on behalf of ALSC, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate each recipient of this year’s Melcher and Bound to Stay Bound Scholarships,” says 2025-2026 ALSC President Dr. Claudette S. McLinn. “As a former librarian, I know how important these scholarship grants can be in pursuing continued academic pursuits in this noble profession. I wish each recipient continued success in all future endeavors.”

The ALSC Professional Recognition and Scholarships Committee, charged with selecting ALSC’s scholars each year, include: Jenny M. Rosenoff and Gwen Vanderhage (co-chairs), Heather Love Beverley, Brenda Dales, Grace Enriquez, Bethni D. King, Maria Xochitl Peterson, Sylvia G. Tag, and Katie Marie Cerqua.

About the Association for Library Service to Children

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is driven by approximately 4,000 members dedicated to the support and enrichment of library service to children. Our members include youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty. ALSC supports its members in engaging communities to build healthy, successful futures for all children. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at www.ala.org/alsc.

##