2007 Mary V. Gaver Scholarship recipient named

Kimberly Sanders


Program Officer, Education & Scholarships


ALA, Human Resource Development & Recruitment (HRDR)


800-545-2433 x4279


ksanders@ala.org
For Immediate Release


August 7, 2007

2007 Mary V. Gaver Scholarship recipient named

CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce Wendy Brown of Jamaica Plain, N.Y. as the 2007 recipient of the Mary V. Gaver Scholarship.

The $3,000 scholarship was established to honor the memory of Gaver, a past ALA president and Rutgers University professor, who made many contributions to library youth services. The scholarship is awarded to a person pursuing a master's degree in library and information studies, with a specialty in youth services.

Brown’s passions for teaching, librarianship and social justice are guiding her on her journey towards becoming a librarian. Brown said her inspiration to stand up and advocate for the profession, libraries, and patrons came from a poem she heard read by Naomi R. Caldwell, entitled “Stand Up Sit Down” opening session of the recently held Joint Conference of Librarians of Color.

Brown has organized a workshop called “Safe Libraries” that speaks to the unique issues around serving youth and teens. She is currently working with the Progressive Librarians Guild on reshaping the Library and Information Sciences curriculum to require professors to integrate discussion of diversity into all classes.

“This scholarship will enable me to ‘sit down’ to classes, conferences, and informational interviews where I hope to discover new methods and techniques for providing service to diverse groups of patrons in the future”, said Brown.

Brown currently attends Simmons College in Boston.