San Jose State MLIS student awarded ASCLA Century Scholarship

Contact: Liz Markel


Marketing Specialist, RUSA/ASCLA


(312) 280-4398


lmarkel@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


June 30, 2009

CHICAGO—The 2009 ASCLA Century Scholarship has been awarded to Amy Lynn Sonnie, a graduate student at San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science.

The scholarship is an initiative of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and ASCLA’s
Library Service to Special Populations Section (LSSPS). Established in 1999 through the generosity of an anonymous donor, it fulfills ALA’s mission to cultivate a field of library and information science professionals that more accurately reflects the diversity of the communities and populations it serves.

Sonnie will receive $2,500 that will assist her in successfully completing her MLIS program. In making its selection, the scholarship jury cited Sonnie’s demonstrated professional dedication to equal access to information for diverse populations, including young adults, immigrants and individuals with disabilities. As the current disability program navigator/library consultant for the city of San Francisco, Mayor’s Office on Workforce Development and as a volunteer working on accessibility issues at Oakland (Calif.) Public Library, the jury believes her MLIS will further strengthen her active participation in the public library community.

Sonnie will be recognized at the ASCLA Awards Ceremony at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference, which will be held at the beginning of the ASCLA President’s Program session, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon, Sunday, July 12, in the Empire Room at the Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe St., Chicago.

ASCLA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is a diverse organization of librarians, information science professionals and support staff who work in academic and public libraries, state agencies, specialized libraries and multi-type cooperatives, as well as those who are self-employed. For more information about ASCLA and the ASCLA Century Scholarship, visit
www.ala.org/ascla.