Four Spectrum scholars to attend AASL National Conference

Contact: Kathy Agarwal


Communications Specialist


312-280-4381


kagarwal@ala.org
For Immediate Release


October 23, 2007

Four Spectrum scholars to attend AASL National Conference

CHICAGO - The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will sponsor the attendance of four Spectrum scholars at its 13th National Conference & Exhibition in Reno, Nev., October 25-28.




"On behalf of AASL, I would like to welcome Spectrum scholars to our National Conference," said Sara Kelly Johns, AASL president. "We all look forward to the contributions their diverse backgrounds will make to the conversation and learning in Reno and we hope they will benefit from this chance to attend the best of school library media professional development with the broadest range of programs and experts available."




AASL will sponsor the following Spectrum scholars in Reno:

  • Lori Rosales Curry, a school library media specialist at Austin High School in El Paso, Texas.

  • Teresa Maria Mares, a librarian at Noli Indian School, a Native American Middle/High School serving more than 22 tribes in Hemet, Calif.; working toward an MLIS degree at San Jose State University.

  • Alma Ramos-McDermott, an MLS student at Simmons College, Boston, Mass., with a focus on school library media.

  • Kelvin Watson, MLS student at North Carolina Central University, planning to become a school library media specialist.

Each of the four selected Spectrum scholars will receive complimentary full National Conference registration and a $750 travel stipend, underwritten by Stone Arch Books. Spectrum scholars will be paired with a mentor for the duration of the conference and will receive special recognition at key events.




The AASL National Conference will feature three full-day and five half-day preconference workshops, several school and educational tours, 125 educational sessions, many author events and more than 200 exhibiting companies. Registration is now open at
http://www.ala.org/aasl/reno .




The Spectrum Scholarship Program's major drive is to recruit applicants and award scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students for graduate programs in library and information studies. Its mission is to improve service at the local level through the development of a representative workforce that reflects the communities served by all libraries in the new millennium. Since 1997, ALA has awarded a total of 495 Spectrum Scholarships.




For more information on Spectrum and how you can contribute, visit
http://www.ala.org/spectrum.





The American Association of School Librarians,
www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library media services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library media field.