CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce recipients for the newest round of Spectrum Doctoral Fellowships – Catalysts for Change. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (RE-248876-OLS).
The seven 2022 Spectrum Doctoral Fellowships recipients are: Toni Anaya at Emporia State University; Tessa R. Campbell (Tulalip/Tlingit) at the University of Washington; Shannon Crooks at Syracuse University; Lydia Curliss at the University of Maryland; Cearra Harris at the University of South Carolina; Mandi Harris at the University of Washington; and Twanna Hodge at the University of Maryland.
Through Catalysts for Change, ALA—in partnership with the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science—has developed this cohort of racially and ethnically diverse doctoral students focused on advancing racial equity and social justice in library and information science (LIS) curricula. Five LIS doctoral degree programs partnered on recruitment efforts: Emporia State University, Syracuse University, the University of Maryland, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Washington. The project aims to develop future LIS faculty committed to fostering racial equity through teaching and research while also building capacity and cooperation amongst partnering LIS degree programs to expand social justice curricula and increase support for doctoral students and faculty in the field who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
The Fellows were selected by a distinguished jury led by Co-Project Director, Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science. The jury included Dr. Mónica Colón-Aguirre, Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science; Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Information Sciences; Dr. Mirah J. Dow, Professor and Director of the Ph.D. Program at Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management; Dr. LaVerne Gray, Assistant Professor at Syracuse University’s iSchool; Dr. Renee F. Hill, Principal Lecturer and Director of the School Library specialization at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies; Dr. Michelle H. Martin, the Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor for Children and Youth Services in the Information School at the University of Washington; Dr. Bharat Mehra, Professor, EBSCO Endowed Chair in Social Justice at the University of Alabama; and Dr. Joe Sánchez, Associate Professor at Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies.
In addition to providing tuition and stipend support to each Fellow, the Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship includes participation in specialized coursework to establish a shared framework and understanding of social justice and anti-racism that will ground the ways in which Fellows approach equity in action through research and teaching. Fellows also receive participation in a diverse national cohort of peers, advisors, and mentors, in addition to the support provided by their degree program. To further mentoring and networking, fellows, advisors, and faculty will convene at three doctoral Institutes.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. They advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Their vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow on Facebook and Twitter.
Through the Spectrum Scholarship Program, ALA advances racial equity by connecting new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians with a network committed to mutual support, advancing one another’s leadership, and making social justice part of everybody’s everyday work. The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students. To learn more about the Spectrum Scholarship Program, please contact ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services at spectrum@ala.org or visit www.ala.org/spectrum.
