SLA Scholarship

Julie May earned a B.A. in English Literature from Indiana University and an A.A.S. in Applied Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a part-time student, working on her master's degree on information and library sciences at Pratt Institute, with a focus on cultural informatics and a certificate in archives. She joined the Pratt student chapter of SLA as an officer and recently redesigned their website. In addition to her studies, Ms May also works at the Brooklyn Historical Society as the photo archivist. During an internship with Pentagram Design, she organized their reference library from a designer’s perspective and ordered the samples library, particularly the textile collection. She "hope[s] to mesh [her] interests in art and photography with the informational and access issues that special libraries face with their collections." The Scholarship Committee selected Julie May to receive the SLA Scholarship because of her many activities within her student SLA chapter, coupled with her interests and activities in the specialized fields of art and design.

Jennifer Rohan earned a BA in Communications from UCLA, a Certificate in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Seattle University and a Certificate in Advanced Spanish from University of Salamanca. She is a member of REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. She recently began working towards her library degree at the University of Washington. Before beginning her degree program, Ms Rohan worked as a library associate at the Archdiocese of Seattle, where she created their library website. During her time at the Archdiocese, the staff analyzed the needs of their constituents and determined that they needed to develop a collection of religious educational videos in Spanish, which Ms Rohan helped to facilitate. As she advances in her library career, she sees "special librarianship as a vocation where I can invest my special talents and energy to serve others with thoughtfulness, insight and creative vision." The Scholarship Committee selected Jennifer Rohan to receive the SLA Scholarship because of her dedication to analyzing user needs, such as language of materials, and then to use her skills to provide a collection to address those identified needs.

Meghan Fahey earned a B.A in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an M.A Certificate in Medieval Latin from the University of Toronto. She is attending the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Mount Holyoke College. Ms Fahey is a member of SLA and the Vice President and Webmaster of the Student Government group LISSA-West. She plans to "work with non-traditional library or archival collections." Ms Fahey’s experience with special collections includes positions at the National Yiddish Book Center and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Archives and Special Collections. She says it is her "hope that [her]future with libraries will be full of unique situations in which [she] will be challenged to find ways to share the holdings of special libraries effectively and efficiently ... using current and cutting edge technologies in order to remain competitive and relevant."

The committee chose Meghan Fahey as a scholarship recipient because of her high degree of interest in special collections, her exceptional letters of recommendation, and her approach to Special Librarianship. In her letter of intent, Meghan made it clear that she has learned from her experience in special collections that it takes more to making a library successful than just maintaining a collection and serving the customer. She has seen how marketing outside of the traditional patron base can attract new patrons outside of the traditional, core customer base. In Meghan’s words, "With thorough and ambitious outreach programs ... [librarians can open] the collections up to vast and varied patrons who each [find] unique and useful bits within the collection." Meghan also realizes how technology will be an important piece of the picture and is enthusiastic about how libraries will use technology for outreach.

Terence L. Johnson is pursuing an MLIS at the University of South Carolina. He also holds a B.A. in History and an M.A. in Religion from Florida State University, and has done graduate coursework in History at the University of Memphis. In his current position as a full-time collection development archivist for the University of South Carolina’s South Caroliniana Library, Mr Johnson utilizes audio and video to document the narratives of South Carolina’s minority community, and states that "archiving the activities of various ethnic, racial, and religious groups...can serve to preserve histories that have generally been left out of history books." He has previously worked as a history and religion instructor at various colleges and as an intern at the National Civil Rights Museum, The Pink Palace Museum, and the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology. He is a member of the South Carolina chapter and the Museums, Arts, and Humanities division of SLA. The SLA Scholarship Committee selected Terence Johnson based on his work history, his excellent recommendations and interview, his understanding of special libraries, and his clear career goals. It is his hope, that through "collection development and community outreach, people of different cultures can better understand one another."

Vaishali Jahagirdar is enrolled in an MSLS program at The Catholic University of America. Prior to her enrollment, she was employed for five years as a professional librarian at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in Mumbai, India. She has completed both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Mumbai, India. She enrolled in her current degree program to "expand her outlook and explore the world of Library & Information Sciences beyond her present qualifications" and believes that one must "embrace and adapt to change with determination and optimism." Ms Jahagirdar states that "it is no longer enough to present...a pile of documents as an answer to a question. I must be able to present the best possible information in a timely manner in the best possible format for the client." She is a member of the Washington, D.C. chapter and the Pharmaceutical division of SLA.The SLA Scholarship Committee was impressed by Ms Jahagirdar’s work history and her willingness to pursue an MLIS from an American university after completing full coursework in India. She received good recommendations and wrote a strong personal statement outlining her goals both within her degree program and as an information professional.