Wednesday, April 23, 2014

And the Frankie goes to.....


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.