ALSC announces Bound to Stay Bound Books and Melcher Scholarship winners
Contact: Linda Mays
312-280-1398
lmays@ala.org
For Immediate Release
July 19, 2005
ALSC announces Bound to Stay Bound Books and Melcher Scholarship winners
CHICAGO - The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced the 2005 recipients of the Frederic G. Melcher and Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarships.
The scholarships are awarded annually to students who plan to enter ALA-accredited programs, obtain a master's degree in library science and specialize in library service to children. Applicants must be United States or Canadian citizens. Recipients are expected to become members of ALA and are required to accept a position in the field of library service to children for at least one year following graduation.
Jonathan Hunt of Hughson, Calif., and Wendy Torrence of Mount Gilead, Ohio are the recipients of the Melcher Scholarship. Each winner receives $6,000 from ALSC, made possible by contributions received in memory of Frederic G. Melcher.
Melissa Brumstead of Jackson, Wyo., Donna Colson of Southwick, Mass., Latonya Pegues of Dallas, and Danielle Winn of Atlanta, are the Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship winners. Each winner receives $6,500, made possible through a generous contribution from Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., of Jacksonville, Ill.
Hunt will take his career in a new direction by using his experience as a teacher to help children discover the joy of reading in a public library. Hunt will attend San Jose State University.
Torrence will use her experience as an English teacher and library aide to increase public library programming that encourages children to focus more on their reading and writing skills. Torrence will attend Kent State University.
Brumstead plans to use her degree to help foster a bond between children and books that serves as encouragement to some and a lifeline to others. Brumstead will attend Simmons College.
Colson's goals include working to instill in children a passion for reading and literacy, while helping to connect cultures in the community. Colson will attend the University of Rhode Island.
Pegues already is combining her experience as an elementary education teacher with service to youth in a public library. Pegues is attending Texas Woman's University.
Winn plans to use her recent experience as an elementary education teacher to partner in an after-school tutoring program in a public library. Winn will attend the University of Western Ontario.
Members of the scholarship committee were very impressed with the caliber of applicants. “Each and every recipient is quite excited to receive the scholarship and to be embarking on a career in children's librarianship,” said Committee Chair Diane Janoff of Queens (N.Y.) Public Library.
In addition to Janoff, committee members are: Mary Cissell, Denton, Texas; Kay Evey, Tukwila Elementary School, Seattle; Susan Pine, New York Public Library; and Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, Minn.
Applications for the 2006 scholarships will be available on the ALA Web site beginning October 1, 2005, at
http://www.ala.org, or send an e-mail to
lmays@ala.org.
