Cynthia Nugent named ASCLA Century Scholarship recipient

Contact: Eileen Hardy

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For Immediate Release

May 29, 2007

Cynthia Nugent named ASCLA Century Scholarship recipient

CHICAGO – Cynthia Nugent is the 2007 recipient of the Century Scholarship presented by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Nugent is a student at the School of Library and Information Science, University of Southern Mississippi.

The independently funded Century Scholarship is a diversity initiative aimed at promoting the ALA’s mission of improving service at the local level through the development of a representative workforce that reflects the communities served by all libraries in the new millennium. The Century Scholarship is a $2,500 monetary award given annually to a student or students pursuing a degree in library and information science.

Nugent earned a bachelor of arts in history from the Belhaven College, Jackson (Miss.). She has worked as outreach coordinator and children and young adult librarian representative, Mississippi Library Commission, Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services.

The scholarship committee was extremely impressed by Nugent's extensive para-professional achievements working for the Mississippi Library Commission, Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services section,” said Simon Healey, scholarship committee chair. “The National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind & Physically Handicapped has recognized Nugent’s accomplishments and acumen by its appointment of her to a two-year term on the NLS Collection Development Advisory Committee to represent the entire network in the area of children's reading needs.”

The scholarship will be presented during the ASCLA President’s Program, “Is Your Information Technology Accessible? Section 508 and Libraries,” on June 25, 2007, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC.