"Much More than I Ever Imagined"
The Experiences of the Eight Scholarship Winners at This Year's MLA Conference
Have you ever wished to attend the MLA’s Annual Conference, but your library’s budget just wouldn’t stretch far enough to make it possible? This year, for the first time, MLA made available eight scholarships for conference attendance. The awards were funded by the Kay Bader Memorial Fund. Kay Bader, former director of the Snow Library in Orleans, died in a tragic automobile accident in 1998. To honor the many contributions she made to Massachusetts libraries, a memorial scholarship fund was established in her memory.
The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage library workers and students to join the Massachusetts Library Association, and to promote attendance at MLA’s Annual Conference. This scholarship is available to librarians who meet the following criteria:
Applicants must be first-time conference go-ers who either work in a Massachusetts library or information organization, or are currently attending library school.
Applicants were evaluated on the basis of need and desire for the scholarship as shown in their accompanying essays, communication skills, leadership ability, and the potential to contribute to MLA . An effort was made to award scholarships at every level of librarianship from paralibrarian, to library director. One winner was chosen from each of the six regional library systems, and two winners were chosen from the pool of library school students.
To see what a great experience receiving one of these scholarships can be, here are some testimonials from this year’s winners:
Sharon D. Clarke
Youth Services Librarian
Seekonk Public Library
"… in attending the conference, I gained much more than I ever imagined. Programs such as One Book, One Town and Blogging inspired me. Networking with experts and colleagues rejuvenated me. Relaxing over leisurely dinners with new friends, experiencing the stories of Anchee Min and Anita Diamant, and unwinding at a very entertaining(!) auction all enriched me. My first MLA Conference experience was a success on so many levels. As a scholarship recipient, I was energized by attending and am truly grateful for the committee’s vision of providing scholarships to first-time attendees."
Janet L. Ryan
Evening Librarian
Greenfield Community College
"Since I am the evening librarian at Greenfield Community College, I attended the sessions that were most applicable to academic libraries. The session on Usability Studies provided some real food for thought, especially regarding library web site navigability. The session on Blogging was also very informative, as this is something completely new to me. Perhaps the most immediately helpful presentation was the one on science reference entitled Biology, Chemistry, and Physics – Oh, My!: Taming Science Reference. It was a great source of information for those of us with humanities backgrounds in need of a booster shot of science reference sources. The scholarship was great!”
Kyle Alesandra Cohen
Student, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies
University of Rhode Island
“I am so grateful to the MLA for the scholarship. I would not have been able to attend the conference without it. Not only did the conference allow me to meet librarians from all over the state, I met librarians who have jobs that are similar to mine and jobs that are very different than mine. I came away with a very fresh perspective on my chosen profession.
The true highlight of the conference for me was Anchee Min. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without libraries! Anchee Min grew up in a dictatorship …without freedom to read or learn. Her speech, like her writing, was very dynamic, and moving and truly spoke to how lucky we are in this country to have public libraries. And how truly blessed I am to be a librarian and be able to help those who choose to use libraries.”
Garry Wong
Administrative Assistant
Boston Regional Library System
“In past years I had heard about the conference, but never thought that it applied to me as an administrative assistant. That all changed when I was fortunate enough to be selected for a full scholarship to attend the MLA conference. I found that there was there were many things I could learn and take back to my work to share.
The shining moment of the conference for me was the overwhelming state-wide attendance at the paraprofessional meeting. So, this message is for all of you paraprofessionals who have never considered going to MLA conference— you can learn a lot from your peers and have fun too! I hope to see you at the conference next year!”
Gray Sawyer
Student, Simmons College
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
"The conference exceeded all my expectations. It was fun, inspiring, useful and engaging. Since MLA, I have tried a new (to me) genre, Vampires, talked to some of my contemporaries about their experiences growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, and tried to figure out how Jordan Miller can talk like a cricket! The various meetings, formal and informal, reminded me of all the reasons I have decided to make Library Science my final career path.
Over the conference I was given new tools to help me listen to what patrons are telling me about the kind of books they like. I was introduced to new authors and their works, and given an opportunity to meet four authors whose works I enjoy. I was inspired by watching and listening to so many excited and exciting librarians. Thank you again for this opportunity. I cannot wait until I can attend another MLA conference!"
Carol Shilakowsky
Clerical Assistant
Metrowest Regional Library System
"During the three days of the conference I had all of the following experiences:
Participated in the business meeting of the Paralibrarian Section
Took part in the auction (More than $6,000 garnered for MLA Programs)
Read poetry and sang in a group
Heard a great presentation on “One Town, One Book"
Was enlightened by a program on censorship for young readers that featured authors Robie Harris and Lois Lowry.
Renewed my awareness of the librarian’s job to serve ALL segments of the community
And so much more!
Thank You!
Megan Frazer
Children’s Librarian
Lucius Beebe Memorial Librar
Wakefield, MA
On the morning of April 28th, I arrived in Cape Cod for the Massachusetts Library Association Annual Conference. Grabbing a pastry and some coffee, I rushed into one of the ballrooms to see a woman who, for me, was one of the main draws of the conference: Nancy Pearl. Pearl’s sense of humor is only one of the qualities that make her the epitome of a good librarian. She is engaging, well-informed, and inspirational.
These qualities are not held just by superstar librarians, but by all of the librarians, library students, and paralibrarians I met at the conference. All were open to hearing new ideas and sharing their own. Session after session showed how we are doing things right across the state. These sessions were not simple self-congratulation. They gave librarians a chance to teach their peers how to do everything from run a One Book-One Town program to incorporate charity into summer reading programs. After attending these sessions it became clear to me that we all deserve to be molded out of plastic and declared action heroes!
Susan Tallman
Director, Ritter Memorial Library
Lunenberg, MA
Thank you so much for the opportunity to attend the 2004 conference in Falmouth! I was surprised by many things during my three days: the numbers in attendance, the quality of the workshops and lectures, the fabulous exposure to authors, the usefulness of meeting with vendors. I also loved meeting old friends and new, both socially as well as professionally … I enjoyed it thoroughly!
As you can see from their letters, each of this year's winners had a great experience. We acknowledge their appreciation, but also want them to know that their energy and enthusiasm is a gift to the organization. We hope that this experience is just the beginning of their contribution to MLA and to the field of librarianship in Massachusetts!