The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has selected Patricia Valdovinos, a 2016 Spectrum Scholar is seeking her MLIS degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. As an Intern with RUSA, Valdovinos will work for a year and a half with RUSA’s vice-president/president-elect, Alesia M. McManus, Director of the Howard Community College Library, Columbia, MD. Valdovinos will also receive $3,000 to support travel expenses to attend the American Library Association’s (ALA) Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference.
Valdovinos received her Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/o Studies with minors in American Indian Studies and Education Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014. During her undergraduate education she was a Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar where she researched how performance, such as spoken word, theatre, etc., affected incarcerated Latina/o youth.
“As a Chicana who has been a part of a variety of spaces, I am excited to expand my knowledge and experience with reference and resource sharing within diverse communities, more specifically, communities of color as the 2015 RUSA Spectrum Scholar Intern. This is an incredible opportunity where I will be able to share my perspectives, while also learn from others in the information world.”
RUSA selects one Spectrum Scholar each year to receive the $3,000 travel grant and work with RUSA’s vice-president. The ALA Spectrum Initiative provides $5,000 scholarships to students from the following underrepresented groups: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino and Native American. More information about the Spectrum Initiative is available at www.ala.org/spectrum.
RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. RUSA supports excellence in the delivery of general library services and materials, and the provision of reference advisory, and resource sharing for all ages, in every type of library. Please visit our website at http://www.ala.org/rusa/.