AASL announces scholarship recipient
Contact: Melissa Jones
AASL Communications Specialist
(312) 280-4381
mjones@ala.org
NEWS
For Immediate Release
May 12, 2008
AASL announces scholarship recipient
CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to announce that Charisse Nicole Byers has been awarded the 2008 School Librarian's Workshop Scholarship. Ms. Byers will receive the award at the AASL Awards Luncheon during the 2008 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
Byers is currently a library science student at the University of Southern Mississippi as well as a kindergarten teacher with Atlanta public schools. She has held intern positions with the Peace Corps and the University of Michigan Population Fellows Program, studying and reporting on the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention programs overseas. The Kappa Delta Pi – International Honor Society member has also held various volunteer positions with Teach for America, Hands on Atlanta and SisterLove, Inc. She is expected to graduate in May 2010.
In her reference, Angela Hopewell, a colleague of Byers, said, "I am continually impressed by Ms. Byers' tactful style and commitment to excellence. She is uncompromising in her quest for quality educational opportunities for young people of all ages. She never loses sight of the students and their best interests."
In her scholarship application, Byers stated, "As a school media specialist, I understand that my role and the role of the school library go beyond just supporting the curriculum.…I will see students bloom into critical thinkers and researchers as they learn to use reference materials and seek out resources for a paper."
The School Librarian's Workshop Scholarship is awarded to a full-time student preparing to become a school library media specialist at the preschool, elementary or secondary level. The recipient must pursue graduate-level education in an ALA-accredited library school program or in a school library media program that meets the ALA curriculum guidelines for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The scholarship is donated by Jay W. Toor, president, Library Learning Resources.
The AASL Awards Luncheon will be held from noon to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, June 30, at the Marriott Hotel-Anaheim. The fee to attend is $49. Special guest speaker for the event is award-winning author Wendy Mass. For more information about this event and more AASL programs in Anaheim, visit
http://www.ala.org/aasl/annual.
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.
