Yost receives 2009 Miriam L. Hornback Scholarship
Kimberly Sanders
Program Officer, Education & Scholarships
ALA, Human Resource Development & Recruitment (HRDR)
800-545-2433 x4279
For Immediate Release
June 30, 2009
CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) has named Janet E. Yost of Kutztown, Pa., the 2009 recipient of the Miriam L. Hornback Scholarship.Â
The $3,000 award is given to an ALA or library support staff member to help finance the pursuit of a master’s degree in library and information studies. The scholarship was named in memory of Miriam Hornback, a longtime ALA staff member, who was secretariat to the ALA Council and Executive Board.
Yost’s library career path has been brief but remarkable. In her four years in libraries she rose from clerk to library assistant to library director. As a new library director, Yost is especially committed to “creating programs that will enrich and encourage our patrons and community.” Future programs will feature local talent, whether that of authors and historians, or farmers and bakers. “The community library is so much more than a building filled with books,” says Yost. “It serves the function of bringing the community together for learning, living and leisure.”
Her interest in cultivating community is only natural, arising from her experience as a volunteer and a staff member. Her previous professional training in management, planning and communication have prepared her to meet her goals. Furthermore, Yost is well-known as a community organizer and volunteer: during her time in Kutztown she has trained Girl Scouts, costumed high school musicals, taught Sunday School and edited the Kutztown Historical Society cookbook.
Yost currently attends Drexel University in Philadelphia.
