After receiving a record number of applicants for the Franklin
Taplin Memorial Scholarship to the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA)
Annual Conference, the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates (WMLA) “Selection
Committee” had some difficult decisions to make. We attempted to
distribute the scholarships among the 4 counties (although we received no applicants
from the Berkshires) and tried also to represent as many types of libraries as
possible. And—of course—first-time attendees to the conference were given
priority.
And the winners are……(drumroll)…………..
Lori Carrier—Westfield State University (Hampden)
Ellen Kaye—North Amherst (Hampshire)Angela Rovatti-Leonard—Montague (Franklin)
Angela Dumas—Ludlow (Hampden)
Congratulations to the recipients.
Winners were also invited to have lunch with members of WMLA on
Wednesday at the Conference. As a number of applicants stated that the
opportunity to network and meet new people was a big reason why they wanted to
attend, we felt that extending this invitation would be a solid thing to
do.
WMLA strongly encourages those who were not selected to apply
again next year. It was really a tough choice, and the number of good
applicants we received was really a great thing to see.
The Franklin P. Taplin Memorial
Scholarships provide $250 stipends to allow up to four recipients to
attend the MLA Conference. This year’s conference will be held May 6-8 at the DCU Center in
Worcester.
