Five Up-and-Coming Information Professionals Will be Honored at
SLA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
Alexandria, Va., June 5, 2009--Five up-and-coming information professionals have been named recipients of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Diversity Leadership Development Program (DLDP) Award. The award, sponsored by EBSCO, includes a US$ 1,000 cash prize and complimentary registration to attend the 2009 SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO, to be held June 14-17 in Washington, D.C. Each recipient is also assigned a career development mentor.
The DLDP Award program was developed by SLA to help accelerate the advancement and visibility of members who represent the diversity of the association. Recipients must have an interest and potential for leadership in SLA, have been a member of SLA for at least one year, and have between three and ten years of professional library and information experience. DLDP Award recipients will be showcased at the DLDP Breakfast on June 16 during SLA 2009. The DLDP Breakfast is sponsored by Dialog & ProQuest and EBSCO.
"Each and every one of these honorees is exceptionally deserving of this recognition," said SLA Chief Executive Officer Janice R. Lachance. "Their contributions to the association and to the information profession have helped SLA grow into one of the most diverse and inclusive organizations in the field of information management today. I am so happy these exceptional SLA members are being honored by their peers, and I thank them for their continued dedication to SLA and the profession."
The 2009 recipients of the Diversity Leadership Development Program (DLDP) Award are:
Regina Beard, the business librarian at Kansas State University. Beard worked in banking for more than 15 years before making a professional change, a decision prompted, in part, by impending layoffs. Upon graduation from Clark Atlanta University, Beard relocated to Kansas and took a position as a resident librarian. She interviewed for a tenure-track position as the economics librarian in 2005 and assumed her current responsibilities as business librarian in 2008. Beard is looking forward to using the DLDP to hone and pursue her professional interests, which include collection management and library instruction.
Julia Leggett, an acquisitions librarian in the Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress. Leggett obtained her master's degree in library and information science from Catholic University as well as a master's degree in international transactions from George Mason University. She was the business manager for the Washington, D.C. Chapter of SLA (DC/SLA) from 2006 to 2007 and currently serves as the chapter's membership director. As a result of her recruitment efforts, DC/SLA is now the largest local chapter in SLA. Through the DLDP, Leggett hopes to sharpen her leadership and communication skills, enhance her knowledge of advanced technologies and expand her networking opportunities with information professionals around the globe.
Nora Martin, a library manager since 2007 for the Australian Transaction Reports & Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), Australia's anti-money laundering regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit. Martin was previously employed as a research librarian with Fairfax Media, providing high-quality research and information services to journalists working on local print publications and helping journalists from various interstate and overseas bureaus. In 2008, Martin received the inaugural Australian Government Library and Information Network (AGLIN) Aurora Scholarship; she is now a member of AGLIN's executive board. She obtained her bachelor's degree in communications (information) and executive certificate in knowledge management from the University of Technology, Sydney. Martin is secretary of the SLA Australia-New Zealand Chapter and firmly believes that membership in SLA is invaluable to her lifelong learning and continued professional development.
Eric Schwarz, a customer service executive for Dow Jones' Enterprise Media Group and a part-time reference librarian at the Clarence Dillon Public Library in Bedminster, New Jersey. An SLA member since 2005, Schwartz is president of the SLA's New Jersey Chapter and outgoing co-convener of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Issues Caucus. He has helped plan programming and develop online communication methods, including establishing a feed to aggregate information from multiple SLA blogs. Schwarz believes that SLA's focus on diverse populations and cultures enhances the profession and helps information professionals engage with global colleagues and neighbors.
Nedelina Tchangalova, a reference librarian at the Engineering & Physical Sciences Library (EPSL) at the University of Maryland (UMD) since 2005. Tchangalova currently serves as the subject specialist for the departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, and Physics. She earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from Chemical and Metallurgical University, Sofia, Bulgaria, and another in library and information sciences from the iSchool at UMD in College Park. As a member of the Diversity Team at UMD, Tchangalova has helped to increase the awareness on diversity, cultural and disability issues on campus. Also, she works with diverse population of library users and through DLDP, she hopes to enhance her knowledge and skills on management practices and to establish new professional connections with library professionals and leaders across the country.
The Mentoring Process
A very important part of the DLDP is the assignment of a mentor to each of the award recipients. The mentors are seasoned information professionals who meet with recipients to give advice on setting a career direction, building a portfolio of skills, and identifying and securing leadership opportunities within SLA.
Candidates for the DLDP awards were reviewed and considered by the DLDP Committee, chaired this year by Lyle Minter, and confirmed by the 2009 SLA Board of Directors.
About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.
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