Ten Spectrum Scholars receive PLA Conference Travel Grant

CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) has awarded 10 2014 Spectrum Scholar/PLA Conference Travel Grants to Spectrum Scholars LaToya Devezin, Claudia Flores, Gloria Jertberg, William Langston, Sarah Hashemi Scott, Eimmy Solis, Victoria Thomas, Jade Valenzuela, Marco Veyna-Reyes and Sophie Young.

The grants provide $1,000 for travel and housing arrangements as well as complimentary registration to the PLA 2014 Conference, March 11–15 in Indianapolis. The purpose of these grants is to introduce Spectrum Scholars to public librarianship and to provide networking opportunities for scholars within the profession. Although PLA has contributed to the Spectrum Scholar fund in previous years, this was the first time it offered a conference travel grant.

Applicants submitted an essay that answered the following questions: What interests you about public librarianship? Why are you the best person to receive this grant? How will you benefit and what do you hope to achieve by attending this conference? All the submissions were reviewed by the 2014 PLA Travel Grant Jury – Portia Latalladi, Chicago Public Library, Garfield Ridge Branch; Lessa Pelayo-Lozada, Glendale (Calif.) Public Library;  and Fatima Perkins, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library.

For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or visit PLA’s website at www.pla.org. PLA is a division of the American Library Association. PLA’s core purpose is to strengthen public libraries and their contribution to the communities they serve. Its mission is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services.