LAMA awards 2003 Cultural Diversity Grants

Contact: Arawa McClendon


312-280-5035

For Immediate Release


March 5, 2003

LAMA awards 2003 Cultural Diversity Grants

The Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) is delighted to announce the recipients of the Cultural Diversity Grants for 2003. The first grant will be given to Elaine H. McConnell, director of the Ocean County (N.J.) Library. The award will be used to help fund a two-day Diversity Summit for all Ocean County branch managers. Branch managers will create Diversity Plans of Action to include staff training, programming, outreach and collection development. The project also will include mid-year reports of the plans' implementation, a final report and a best practices document.

The second grant will be given to Marcia Krautter Suter of the Diversity Committee of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO). ALAO is developing a workshop entitled, "Crossing Boundaries," to be presented to faculty and staff of academic libraries with administrative or supervisory responsibilities. The workshop will encourage acceptance of all library patrons and staff by informing attendees of the diverse communities they serve.

The $500 grant honors libraries who support the creation and dissemination of resources that will assist library administrators and managers in developing a vision and commitment to diversity, and create mentoring and networking opportunities. Cultural Diversity Committee Chair Jennifer R. Wright said, "The committee found both projects to be outstanding diversity initiatives."

The awards will be presented at the LAMA President's Program, Sunday, June 22, 2003, at 1:30 p.m. during the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Toronto. A reception will follow the program. More information about the LAMA Cultural Diversity Grant may be found at
the LAMA Awards page.

LAMA is a division of the ALA.